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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – America has become a largely sedentary nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports more than half of US adults do not engage in physical activity at levels consistent with public health recommendations. Nearly nine in 10 of American adults were unaware that the CDC recommends 30 minutes of daily physical activity, according to a study1 conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Additionally, in a 2007 National Health Interview Survey, the CDC found only 13.1% of men and 9.8% of women engage in 10 minutes or more of vigorous leisure-time activity five or more times per week. This alarming trend extends to the workplace, where most adult Americans spend half or more of their waking hours, often engaged in sedentary tasks.
Some believe the responsibility for improving one’s health should lie on the part of the individual, with no participation or input from an employer. But research findings show an employer has ample reason to care about the health of its workforce. For instance:
According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, 45 percent of the total U.S. population has at least one chronic disease; additionally chronic disease overall is responsible for 7 of 10 deaths in the U.S.
The U.S. medical system spends around twice as much treating preventable health conditions caused by obesity as it does on cancer, according to U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Obese employees cost U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss; additionally, obesity is more costly to U.S. companies than either smoking or alcoholism, according to the Conference Board.
Statistics from the National Business Group on Health indicate that obesity was responsible for 39 million lost work days and 63 million physician visits.
On average, health care for obese workers costs 36 percent more than for normal weight workers, and medication costs 77 percent more, according to economists at the non-profit think tank, RAND Corporation.
According to the STOP Obesity Alliance, 80% of employees, regardless of weight, agree healthy lifestyles/weight management programs belong in the workplace.
Rising health care costs are squeezing corporate profit margins, threatening the very lifeblood of business. Promoting employees health is an investment not only in human capital but in preserving the bottom line. Employees are more likely to be on the job and productive when they’re in optimal physical health. They’re also more likely to be attracted to, remain with and value a company that values them. And healthier employees obviously require less health care intervention, lowering overall costs.
The Promise of Prevention: A Key Health and Productivity Strategy
Today’s workplace is more technologically-advanced than ever and optimized for greater employee efficiency. Without employees taking personal responsibility for incorporating physical activity and healthy behaviors into their day, they can suffer the consequences of long meetings around the conference table, elevator-equipped buildings and company-sponsored soft drinks or snacks that all further contribute to potentially sedentary and calorie-laden workdays.
But the workplace also has the potential to serve as a critical change-agent and community for helping employees become more physically active. In fact, a 2007 report2 published in The New England Journal of Medicine points to the connection between the spread of obesity and an individual’s social ties. For instance, the report showed a person’s chances of becoming obese increased by 57 percent if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval. If it’s true we’ve chosen to become unhealthy as communities, we can choose to become healthy as communities, as well. And the workplace is a critical community in fostering that mindset.
Forward-looking employers have recognized the role they must play in encouraging greater physical activity and more healthful choices on the part of employees to prevent the onset of lifestyle-related chronic conditions. Chronic disease, according to the CDC, account for 75 percent, or $1.5 trillion, of our nation’s health care costs. And employers are recognizing opportunities for improvement. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study3, 94 percent of employers believe they can do a better job in supporting their employees in managing their own health to help reduce costs and improve business performance.
These savvy employers understand maintaining a productive and engaged workforce directly correlates to curbing rising health care costs. Wellness programs, once viewed as a “fringe” benefit, are fast becoming a sustained business strategy tied to the fabric of existing health benefits plans. For instance, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports 86 percent of U.S. employers offer some form of wellness programs to their employees. More than 64 percent of employers queried in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research Educational Trust survey4 believe wellness programs will be effective at improving health and 44 percent of firms think they’ll be effective at reducing costs.
By supporting wellness programs within the workplace community and encouraging wellness through social ties, employers have the opportunity to help reduce the demand that’s straining America’s health care system and, in so doing, contain health care costs.
Implementing Workplace Motivators
Employers can implement a number of motivators to encourage increased physical activity on the part of their employees, such as creating a corporate culture where physical activity is encouraged, supported and celebrated. This corporate culture can best be created and sustained by support from the top. According to Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), organizations that successfully garner senior-level support for their wellness offerings have healthier employees and better work environments.5 It’s crucial that the C-suite demonstrate, by their actions and not just their words, that they support the health and productivity program, and actively encourage and make possible employee participation.
The tone in which an organization communicates to its employees about a wellness program is also a critical success factor. According to a WELCOA article entitled, “The Top 5 Strategies to Enhance the ROI of Worksite Wellness Programs,6” employees need to know an employer cares about them and the impact of a wellness initiative for it to be successful – the program can’t be all about the employer’s benefit. Simple cultural changes can also be enormously beneficial. For instance, employers might encourage workplace walking groups or institute activity-based challenges.
Employers have also achieved tremendous success with health and productivity programs that provide a variety of financial, emotional and social rewards. This is a critical mix since not everyone is motivated by the same factors and individuals might be motivated by different factors at different times. Offering rewards as part of a health and productivity program creates a win-win for both employers and program participants. The employer benefits from healthier employees, as well as reduced health claims and absenteeism – and the employee gains not only the immediate reward, as well as the benefits associated with the program, but also the motivation to remain engaged and sustain healthy behaviors over the long-term.
More employers are taking action. In an April 2008 report by Hewitt Associates, for the first time, employers identified keeping employees healthy as one of their top business and workforce issues. Sixty-three percent said they planned to offer rewards to motivate sustained health care behavior change7. Increased use of employer rewards for workers who adopt healthy lifestyles was echoed in recent surveys by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health8, and the Midwest Business Group on Health9.
Improving Employee Health: The Benefits to Employers
Successful health and productivity programs are structured to create a win-win for both employers and employees – aligning the interests of employees in improving their own health with the interests of employers in having a productive, engaged workforce with lower health care costs. Research has shown healthier individuals are sick less often and typically live longer lives. And it’s never too late: data shows behavior changes at any age can return health benefits. But let’s further examine the employer side of the equation, and why encouraging increased physical activity is a smart business move.
According to the Healthy Workforce 2010 report10, “the emerging concept of ‘health and productivity management’ rests on the belief that an ‘at risk’ workforce is a business liability with both direct and hidden costs that impact productivity.” There are many benefits to employers having a healthier workforce, including:
Fewer absences
Improved performance and productivity
Fewer occupational injuries
Reduced turnover
Improved employee well-being and morale
Lower health expenses
Conclusion
Evidence demonstrates a healthy workforce is more engaged and productive – both of which are more critical than ever to the success of American business. While government works to overhaul health care, forward-looking employers have already recognized the value of, and stepped up to their responsibility to, promoting greater physical activity on the part of their employees. Employers have a unique opportunity to spotlight and reward the role personal responsibility plays in making intelligent health choices. By leveraging innovative health and productivity programs, employers finally have the opportunity to create a true win-win situation where their interests in improving employee health, optimizing productivity and lowering health care costs are aligned with the interests of employees in improving their own health.
About the Author:
Chris Boyce is CEO of Virgin HealthMiles (www.virginhealthmiles.com), a provider of incentive-based employee health programs and technology that help organizations build healthier workplaces. The company is part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.
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