Wellness Is Something We Do For People…Not Something We Do To Them

The New Mantra…

These days there is a lot of buzz about health and productivity management–and for good reason.

With new research emerging almost everyday, it is becoming evident to employers, health professionals, and federal and local policy-makers alike that poor health can have an enormous impact on medical care costs as well as organizational productivity.

In a recent national policy briefing document entitled The Business Imperative for Health Promotion, Dr. Michael O’Donnell, Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion, stated, “Two decades of study have established an increasingly strong link between lifestyle factors and medical costs. Our best estimates are that lifestyle factors are responsible for 25 percent to 36 percent of medical costs. With typical annual medical costs exceeding $8,500 per employee for large employers, and total U.S. health spending at $2.4 trillion annually, lifestyle factors may be responsible for as much as $3,060 in annual medical costs per employee and $864 billion for the nation as whole. Emerging work is showing a strong link between lifestyle factors and productivity as well.

Because of the strong link between lifestyle, medical costs and organizational productivity, employers are embracing population health management concepts with zeal. And, in my mind at least, this alone is reason enough to be optimistic about the future—even in the midst of economically challenging times.

When American Business gets engaged, things change.

As President of The Wellness Council of America, a national not-for profit business and health organization with a rich history in workplace wellness, I have witnessed a renaissance of sorts in the last several years. Employers of all shapes and sizes are embracing health management concepts in a way that hasn’t been seen since the safety and industrial hygiene movement took hold early in the last century.

As we move forward with our quest to link health and well-being to bottom-line organizational outcomes, it is imperative that we remember that corporate health management initiatives are something we do with and for our people—not something we do to them.

This bears repeating.

If we are to be ultimately successful in our quest to improve employee health and manage organizational costs, we must position these health management initiatives as something we do with and for people—not something we do to them.

In an age when CEO’s salaries are 400 times that of the average worker (as compared to 40 times in 1970), we must remember that by many economist’s accounts, the typical worker is making less now than they were in 1970. As a result, many employees are highly skeptical of employer-led health interventions.

As we leverage more than two decades worth of research and strive toward “zero trends,” it is my belief, that to be successful, we must strive to engage the U.S. workforce in a partnership whereby employers and employees alike race to find common ground in promoting good health at the worksite.

As a result, health will become a shared priority and our field’s efforts will be indelibly integrated into the very fabric of the organization’s culture.

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Published:: 01.15.09 / 1pm

Category:: Current Issues In Workplace Wellness, Communicating Wellness Within Your Organization, Building a Healthy Workplace

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Wellness Is Something We Do For People…Not Something We Do To Them

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