Less stressed workers more productive
Preventive
programs manage health
(reprinted with permission of the
Business News, Dayton, Ohio, 10/29/99)by Bruce Stapleton
When will you defuse the time bomb that’s about to explode in
your office? This ticking threat has more destructive force than Y2K and will blow a
larger hole in your profitability.
Your business directs large sums of money toward "preventive maintenance" on
the key productive assets that drive your profits. With such strong emphasis on future
prosperity and uninterrupted business performance, shouldn't you invest similar dollars
and energy to maintain your most important asset – a healthy work force? Modern
declines in corporate productivity and profitability are directly attributable to a
high-stress, high intensity work place.
Keeping employees healthy and productive is much less costly than managing their care
once they need medical treatment. Studies confirm fewer days absent (56%) and fewer
medical claims (over 27% less) when preventive health programs are effectively
implemented. The U.S. Center for Disease Control states that over half of all deaths of
individuals younger than 65 result from stressful lifestyles.
Managed health is not the same as managed care. Traditional managed care doesn’t
work. To date, nothing has been managed. Doctors are frustrated, patients are frustrated
and costs are higher than ever. Nobody is any healthier and individuals are more detached
than ever from their own health and wellness.
Managed health is the ability to measure, monitor and improve a person’s health
based on an understanding of how they handle stress and the ability to implement the right
program.
Three elements are necessary to manage a person’s health. The first is the ability
to address poor health habits before they create lasting and expensive medical conditions.
Periodic health screenings of blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body fat % should be
a common business practice.
The second element is the ability to accurately identify how an
individual handles stress. People are continually frustrated and drop out of wellness
programs because of the lack of results. Extensive research from the Canadian Institute of
Stress shows that a road map to wellness can be created by identifying an
individual’s primary risk areas, be they nutrition, fitness, or relaxation. Once
flagged, these hazards can be addressed within a framework of personal and professional
goals, lifestyle choices and current body age. Within this structure, dramatic improvement
is not only possible, but probable.
The third element to effective health management is to utilize a
middleman who can meet the needs of an individual and his/her doctor, while providing the
specialized knowledge and motivation necessary to create lasting changes. Finding such a
middleman is sometimes a challenge since it must marry many disciplines related to health
and wellness and have the ability to customize them to the individual.
The good news for everyone is it is never too late to start. A
managed health program is a win/win endeavor for any business. Healthy, productive
employees mean less recruiting and retraining costs and fewer health care related
expenses. For example, just reducing the medications people take for anxiety could save
over $800 million dollars annually.
Your employees are your most important asset. Reevaluate how your
company is spending its "preventive maintenance" dollars. Partnering with a
company that can provide you a comprehensive managed health program is something both your
HR department and CFO will appreciate.
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