Posted by Worksite Wellness | Posted in worksite wellness programs | Posted on 30-06-2009
25% Jump in Employer Interest in Employee Health and Wellness
Worksite wellness for their workers, businesses are discovering, is great for the health of their businesses as well. Worksite Wellness help to cut the costs associated with poor employee health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity and poor work quality. A current Hewitt Associates survey of over 500 American businesses indicated a important paradigm shift in how businesses view health benefits for their workers. Of those surveyed this year, 88% are committed to instituting long-term medical care assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their workers, with the objective of boosting the health and productivity of their workforce. This represents a 25% increase in interest in Worksite Wellness over 2007. A strong offering of Worksite Wellness to meet the demand has resulted. Health assistance providers have broadened their programs with tools that address general lifestyle factors, physical, social and psychological health factors. Programs look to predict chronic conditions in their workers and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Corporations also demand a way to measure the performance of their medical care spending. “Self-care is our motive,” says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive wellness and health provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving workers tools to help them manage their own health, and promoting the benefits, while giving people resources to reach out for help is the key to efficacious lifestyle modification. Corporations are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver Worksite Wellness . The sort of program we have developed over years delivers the highest medical care return on investment.” Combining worksite wellness promotions, online assessments and health trackers, online health information, phone conferences and self-help groups, and access to a wide variety of health professionals, is behind the success of the Exan program. “Having online statistics about workers’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line – ROI” says Vic Lebouthillier. “Corporations are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of medical care benefits to develop holistic programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their employee populations, drive employee behavior change and eliminate barriers to healthcare,” says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice. Nevertheless, in a separate survey of 30,000 workers, 74% said that, even though they felt their company had an obligation to help them understand how to use their health benefits program, only 12% felt the company had any right to tell them how to be healthy. Based on these results, businesses need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their workers as well as the company. It’s a win-win situation. Employers and workers did learn common ground when it came to future medical care. Both surveys indicate that 95% of workers understand that their taking care of their health today will influence future medical care payments. A similar percentage also understand the important of early detection and prevention when it comes to saving on medical care costs. Cost is important for most businesses as well. Over 80% of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those reductions did not involve shifting responsibility for medical care onto workers. Although 64% of businesses have shifted costs to their workers, only 17% aim to do so in the next 3-5 years. Similarly with health reimbursement accounts, 20% now offer these, but only about 5% aim to use them in 2008. These survey results indicate businesses are getting more proactive in helping their workers to shift behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is obviously great for the well-being of workers, but also for the well-being of the businesses they work for. Almost half the businesses surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to enhanced productivity and lower absentee rates. Over 60% aim to institute programs that help workers shift and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle. Almost of these businesses will also use data and measurements to be sure their medical care strategies meet their medical care objectives?