Employee Health Promotion

25% Jump in Employer Interest in Employee Health and Wellness

Worksite wellness for their employees, organizations are discovering, is great for the health of their organizations as well. Employee Health Promotion Programs 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 United States organizations indicated a valuable paradigm shift in how organizations view health benefits for their employees. Of those surveyed this year, 88% are committed to instituting long-term healthcare assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their employees, with the objective of boosting the health and productivity of their workforce. This represents a 25% rise in interest in Employee Health Promotion Programs over 2007. A strong offering of Employee Health Promotion Programs 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 employees and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Organizations also demand a way to measure the performance of their healthcare spending. “Self-care is our motive,” says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive wellbeing and health provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving employees 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 successful lifestyle change. Corporations are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver Employee Health Promotion Programs. The type of program we have developed over years delivers the highest healthcare return on investment.” Combining worksite wellness promotions, online assessments and health trackers, online health information, telephone 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 employees’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line – return on investment” says Vic Lebouthillier. “Organizations are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of healthcare benefits to cultivate holistic programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their employee populations, drive employee behavior modification and eliminate barriers to healthcare,” says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice. However, in a separate survey of 30,000 employees, 74% said that, even though they felt their business had an obligation to help them be aware of how to use their health benefits program, only 12% felt the business had any right to tell them how to be healthy. Based on these results, organizations need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their employees as well as the business. It’s a win-win situation. Employers and employees did discover common ground when it came to future medical care. Both surveys indicate that 95% of employees be aware of that their taking care of their health today will influence future healthcare payments. A similar percentage also be aware of the valuable of early detection and prevention when it comes to saving on healthcare costs. Cost is valuable for most organizations as well. Over 80% of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those reductions did not involve shifting responsibility for healthcare onto employees. Although 64% of organizations have shifted costs to their employees, only 17% intend to do so in the next 3-5 years. Similarly with health reimbursement accounts, 20% now offer these, but only about 5% intend to use them in 2008. These survey results indicate organizations are getting more proactive in supporting their employees to change behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is obviously great for the well-being of employees, but also for the well-being of the organizations they work for. Almost half the organizations surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to better productivity and decrease absentee rates. Over 60% intend to institute programs that help employees shift and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle. Almost of these organizations will also use data and measurements to ensure their healthcare strategies meet their healthcare objectives?