Stress in the Workplace: A Costly Epidemic

Three out of every four American workers describe their work as stressful. And the problem is not limited to these shores. In fact, occupational stress has been defined as a "global epidemic" by the United Nations' International Labor Organization.

While the physical effects of this epidemic are often emphasized, the economic consequences also are alarming. Workplace stress costs U.S. employers an estimated $200 billion per year in
absenteeism, lower productivity, staff turnover, workers' compensation, medical insurance and other stress-related expenses. Considering this, stress management may be business's most important challenge of the 21st century. To read more, click here.

Fitcorp is a national leader in the delivery of corporate fitness services. By taking advantage of the Fitcorp Benefit, your company can become healthier and more productive and ultimately reduce your corporate health care costs. To learn how Fitcorp can help you meet your corporate fitness goals, please contact Mike Parent, 617-375-5600 x.114

Obesity A More Costly Workplace Health Issue Than Smoking Workers' weight problems cost companies billions

Obesity not only takes its toll on health, it also has an impact on a company's bottom line. A new report by The Conference Board, a business research group, finds that obese employees cost U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss.

The report examines the financial and ethical questions surrounding whether, and how, U.S. companies should address the obesity epidemic.

"Employers need to realize that obesity is not solely a health and wellness issue," said Labor Economist Linda Barrington, Research Director of The Conference Board Management Excellence Program and co-author of the report.

"Employees' obesity-related health problems in the United States are costing companies billions of dollars each year in medical coverage and absenteeism. Employers need to pay attention to their workers' weights, for the good of the bottom line, as well as the good of the employees and of society," she said. To read the report's findings, click here:

Fitcorp is a national leader in the delivery of corporate fitness services. By taking advantage of the Fitcorp Benefit, your company can become healthier and more productive and ultimately reduce your corporate health care costs. To learn how Fitcorp can help you meet your corporate fitness goals, please contact Mike Parent, 617-375-5600 x.114

Corporations save big

Studies of big corporations that have been involved in in-depth health promotion and disease prevention programs for several years show big monetary returns on their investments.
A study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion in 1999 showed that the $1.9 million that Citibank spent on a health management program resulted in $7 million savings in reduced medical costs and absenteeism.
Two studies of the first long-term health and wellness program at Johnson & Johnson, covering the years 1990-99, showed $225 overall savings per employee per year since 1995. The articles were printed in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in January and May of 2002.
Coors Brewing Co., a pioneer in workplace wellness programs, had a return of $6.15 per $1 invested over six years, according to a study by health care specialist Zoezi Inc. That same study showed Steelcase had a return of $5.80 for every $1 spent over five years, Equitable Life Assurance $5.52 over its first year, and Travelers Corp., $3.40, over its first year. Read more:

Fitcorp is a national leader in the delivery of corporate fitness services. By taking advantage of the Fitcorp Benefit, your company can become healthier and more productive and ultimately reduce your corporate health care costs. To learn how Fitcorp can help you meet your corporate fitness goals, please contact Mike Parent, 617-375-5600 x.114

Company wellness programs improve health, cut costs

Employee wellness programs just may be the cure for companies struggling to keep up with rapidly rising health care costs.
And proponents say that in addition to saving companies money, the programs are an effective way to help employees live healthier lives.
Jeff and Linda Pond of Virginia even suggest that Linda's company wellness program may have saved Jeff's life.
Two years ago, Pond received a letter informing him that his annual blood test results indicated he might have prostate cancer. The letter advised him to consult his physician.
Pond is now six weeks out of surgery to treat early stage prostate cancer and says things are "back to normal," thanks to Linda's employee wellness program at Quest Diagnostics, which provided the free blood tests that initially detected signs of cancer.
"My cancer would have gone undetected for years, and likely wouldn't have been nearly as treatable as it is," Pond said, adding that early detection saved him from having to go through more intensive -- and expensive -- treatments down the road.
It is this concept of preventative care that spurred the CEO of Quest Diagnostics -- where Linda works as a registered nurse -- to implement the company's wellness program four years ago, said Steve Burton, vice president of health and wellness services at Quest Diagnostics.
The company's voluntary program, Healthy Quest, provides employees, their spouses and domestic partners with a personalized health report -- called Blueprint for Wellness -- based on laboratory testing. The program also provides educational materials, weight-loss support groups, fitness classes, a smoking cessation program and personal counseling sessions. Employees who participate in the free program are given $10 bi-weekly as an incentive, Burton said.
So what's in it for the company?

Fitcorp is a national leader in the delivery of corporate fitness services. By taking advantage of the Fitcorp Benefit, your company can become healthier and more productive and ultimately reduce your corporate health care costs. To learn how Fitcorp can help you reach your corporate fitness goals, contact Mike Parent 617-375-5600 x.114

Exploding Fitness Myths

Getting Americans off the couch and onto their feet could save an estimated 200,000 lives a year, says the surgeon general. Yet most of us are either sedentary or only minimally active. Confusion may keep many couch potatoes from getting into shape. People still ask questions like: How often should I exercise? (The more, the better, but at least 30 minutes nearly every day.) Does it have to be 30 minutes straight? (No, shorter bouts are fine.) Do I need to go to the gym? (No, walking, dancing, lawn mowing, and gardening are fine, if they're intense enough.) Still, in a world where infomercials, magazines, videos, and friends may give conflicting advice, misunderstanding abounds. To read more click here.

Ten Ways to Manage Stress Day by Day

Experiencing ongoing stress - even at low levels - can have a negative effect on your health and well-being. That's why stress management isn't something to reserve only for difficult times, but something to practice daily.

1. Catching it early - Signs and symptoms such as headache, gut discomfort, tense muscles and fidgety sleep may be early indicators of too much stress. When you feel stress coming on, take a breath and put your stress management techniques into practice.
2. Exercise - Even a short walk can improve mood and reduce feelings of stress.
3. Eating well - A healthy diet gives you the energy to handle daily stress. Skipping meals and making poor food choices can contribute to fatigue, greater susceptibility to illness and a general feeling of poor health.
4. Setting limits - Saying no to some tasks can help make you more productive and successful with the tasks you choose to take on.
5. Find a friend - Whether listening to you vent your frustrations or offering words of encouragement, friends can provide needed social support. If your friend can make you laugh, all the better, since laughter has been shown to reduce stress and tension.
6. Pleasant distractions - A good book or a movie can help redirect your thoughts from unproductive worry.
7. Relaxing - True relaxation involves a feeling of peace of mind. You may find a hobby or certain exercises particularly relaxing. Meditation, prayer or deep, slow breathing are other ways of feeling calm.
8. Positive thinking - Throughout the day, stop and evaluate the endless stream of thoughts that run through your mind. If they're negative, try to reframe those thoughts in a positive way.
9. Getting help if needed - If stress is affecting your ability to work or find pleasure in life, seek help from your doctor or mental health provider. Getting outside help isn't a sign of weakness. It takes strength to admit that you may need help - and getting help shows good judgment.
   

Fitcorp has Personal Trainers that can help design a program to meet your fitness goals as well as your time constraints. For more information, please contact Sam Berry.

Getting Healthy, With a Little Help From the Boss

By LESLEY ALDERMAN

Get ready to get well. Boss’s orders.

Once upon a time, corporations offered generous health benefits as a way to woo employees into their ranks. Now, most companies have turned from amorous suitors into stern parents — shifting more costs, and more responsibilities, to their employees.

According to a January survey by the benefits consulting firm Hewitt Associates, nearly two-thirds of large employers planned to transfer more costs to employees. At the same time, one-third planned to put greater emphasis on wellness plans — programs that encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. (So long, Big Macs).

Congress is climbing onto the wellness bandwagon, too. Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who is a leader of the Congressional health reform movement, recently proposed giving tax incentives to companies that offer comprehensive wellness programs to their employees.

The focus on healthier lifestyles makes sense. Unhealthy employees use significantly more medical services than healthy ones and cost employers more money.

“If you are an employer who wants to keep providing health care coverage, you have to target employees’ exercise, diet and nutrition habits,” says Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe, chairman of the health policy and management department at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Three-quarters of the money the nation spends on health care is for chronic conditions, Dr. Thorpe pointed out. If companies can get workers to make behavioral changes to control problems like high blood pressure or diabetes, the businesses’ costs typically go down.

But though the logic seems sound — employees get healthier and employers reduce their overall costs — not all wellness plans are alike.

At paternalistic companies like General Mills, employees have a host of generous options. Workers at the company’s headquarters just outside Minneapolis can exercise at the on-site gym, get eye exams at the medical office and see a physical therapist for random aches and pains — all free of charge.

But some aspects of wellness plans may feel more meddlesome. About 80 percent of big employers offer health risk surveys, which are aimed at identifying health problems or potential health problems. And 60 percent of employers give financial incentives to employees who fill them out, according to a joint survey by the benefits consulting firm Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health, an association of more than 300 large employers.

After a worker takes such a survey — the results are off limits to the employer — a coach or nurse from the outside contractor running the program will call the person and suggest medical interventions or lifestyle changes. Those changes may involve exercising more, eating less meat or losing weight.

“It’s one thing for an employer to offer insurance that protects you from illness,” says Ronald C. Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. “It’s another when they start suggesting that you shouldn’t eat a P.B.&J. sandwich for lunch. That can feel intrusive.”

But whether you love them or hate them, wellness programs are probably here to stay. Here’s how you can make them work for you.

UNDERSTAND THE TOOLS More and more companies are using health questionnaires as a way of to create personalized health improvement plans for their workers. These surveys ask about your body mass index, how much you exercise and whether you smoke, and are typically administered by a third party.

According to privacy laws, the information you provide to the plan administrators cannot be used by your employer for any purpose related to your employment status. In addition, an employer cannot deny health insurance to an employee for failure to complete a health risk questionnaire, says Martin J. Moderson, vice chairman of employee benefits and executive compensation at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.

While many employers offer incentives for filling out health surveys, there is some debate over whether it is legal for them to do so. Under the federal health privacy law known by its acronym, Hipaa (pronounced HIP-ah), your employer can provide an incentive for filling out a risk survey, as long as the reward does not exceed 20 percent of the cost of coverage under the plan, and certain other requirements are satisfied, Mr. Moderson said.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, however, has questioned whether such incentives would violate the American with Disabilities Act. If you feel coerced into filling out a questionnaire, or annoyed that some employees get compensated for doing so, speak to the human resources department.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU If you’re already using your company’s wellness plan, great. But if you’ve been reluctant, find out what your company has to offer.

“The guy who is not taking advantage of the company wellness plan is underwriting the one who is,” Mr. Kessler said. “You’re basically leaving money on the table.”

Call up your human resource department and find out what you might be entitled to. Or go on your company’s intranet site and look for a health portal where the information is housed. Common perks are ones that even the change-averse are likely to appreciate: discounts on gym memberships and free flu shots, blood pressure tests and mammograms.

MAKE SUGGESTIONS If your company doesn’t offer wellness benefits, and you wish they did, talk to your supervisor or human resources department.

“There’s been a dramatic shift in attitudes toward health at all sized companies,” said Shelly Wolff, national health and productivity leader at Watson Wyatt. “Start by asking for simple things that don’t cost much money.”

Can the company arrange for a corporate discount at a local Y or gym? Will they sponsor a baseball or basketball team? Could they arrange to have a yoga class once a week in an empty conference room? If they snarl, remind them that studies show wellness programs result in less absenteeism and lower costs.

What boss can argue with that?
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/health/23patient.html?_r=1&ref=health