And lots of other food. A few weeks ago I shared some thoughts on holiday eating with you from our FireStarter Nutritionist, Mike Neller. I was reminded of Mike and the great work he does with our clients when I read this article by Jenni Whitaker

Keep employees fit or company will become fiscally unfit

• 60% are overweight
• 60% are sedentary
• 50% have high cholesterol
• 24% have high blood pressure
• 25% smoke

A staggering 70 percent of the illnesses that employees are being treated for are preventable diseases, meaning that they could have been prevented had they made different lifestyle choices. Smoking, lack of exercise, poor eating habits, stress, and alcohol abuse are all individual behaviors that contribute to overall health care costs. So it is no surprise that many of us have unhealthy employees, but unfortunately that is not our only problem. In addition to our concern for the well being of our employees, it is productivity that hits us where it hurts. Annual lost work days due to chronic diseases have a $1 trillion impact on United States productivity each year.

We see it every day, the increasing health care costs that are causing health insurance premiums to go up, on an average, anywhere from 6 to 12 percent (Towers Perrin 2008 survey). Although the increases are lower than we have seen in past years, they are still greater than overall inflation and/or employee wage increases. Everyone is affected by the increases, so it comes as no surprise that employers of all sizes are pursuing innovative strategies that attempt to improve the health of their employees. It is the new face of “Corporate Wellness” and it has arrived on the scene waiving big banners and flashing bright lights. Employers of all shapes and sizes throughout the nation are stepping out of their corporate boardrooms, picking up their own banners and walking along side their large corporate peers, instead of watching the parade march by like they have in past years. Great news for employees…in a recent study 57 percent of employers indicated that they are considering implementing a wellness program.

We have seen employers exhibiting remarkable commitment levels when it comes to promoting better health for employees. Employers now realize that in order to have any chance of lowering healthcare costs, they must have a vested interest in understanding the connection between wellness initiatives and lowering healthcare costs. The suggested approach to getting workers back on track and healthy is through employee education and aggressive disease management. Engaging the employees in their own health and that of their families is a joint effort that will pay off in the long run.

We have to manage the employees who are currently being treated for disease such as Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol through disease management programs. But equally as important is to keep our employees who aren’t being treated for any conditions yet, the healthy employees, and help keep them in good condition.

“The largest portion of a company’s health care expenses (both in claim dollars and lost productivity) come from worker illnesses that have already taken place, it is imperative to determine high risk individuals who are potentially high cost claims before they happen”, says Kathy Corder, vice president of Personalized Prevention, a San Antonio-based health risk management firm. “Employers need to focus on the underlying causes of health care cost increases and have strategies in place to drive improvements in employees’ overall health and wellness. This is how to achieve maximum efficiency and value”, says Corder.

Wellness comes in many packages, from “Wellness-Light”, like a Biggest Loser weight loss challenge to a Full-Blown wellness program to include Health Risk Assessments, Disease Management, Employee Seminars, and Predictive Modeling. Wellness Programs are offered through most insurance carriers through their websites or you may opt for a more robust program that would probably require the hiring of a wellness consultant. In either case, your insurance agent is the best place to start your search for knowledge about this subject.

Here is what happens when a company implements a successful workplace wellness program:
• Decreased sick leave absenteeism by an average of 28 percent
• Decreased workers comp and disability costs by an average of 30 percent
• Overall increased job satisfaction

The good news is that while there is an initial employer cost, the return on investment and the long-term payoff is extraordinary. It is evident that taking care of ourselves not only gives better quality of life, it also improves everyone’s bottom line.
Healthy Employees = Happy Employees.

Jenni Whitaker is a principal with Wortham Insurance & Risk Management in San Antonio. She can be reached at jwhitaker@worthamsa.com. Mike Neller is a certified Cooper Insitute Fitness coach and a certified in holistic nutrition and other cool things. He also was the Captain of a US Navy submarine.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 3:11 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.