Living On WELL Street

Towers Watson is a leading global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. Their 2011/2012 Staying@Work Survey Report explains the workplace wellness efforts of 248 U.S. companies. Companies surveyed have a minimum of 1,000 employees and represent public, private, government and nonprofit sectors. 

The survey provides valuable insight into the best health and productivity practices of leading U.S. employers. The three pillars of a successful worksite wellness initiative are identified as: 1) rewards, 2) leadership and 3) communication. The report compared high-effectiveness (HE) and low-effectiveness (LE) employers and showed:

• A differential in annual health care costs of more than $1,000 per employee
• A benefits savings for high-effectiveness companies of more than 30%
• HE companies include employee health and productivity in the organization’s goals/values
• HE companies’ leaders are role models for healthy lifestyles
• HE companies focus on mental as well as physical health
  • Offer easy access to preventive care
  • Identify and target health risks in individuals and populations
  • educate employees on the importance of saving for medical and retirement needs
• HE companies have comprehensive strategies for identifying and addressing all types of absences
• HE companies build strong partnerships with vendors
• HE companies provide a supportive environment, incentives for participation, transparency and they promote the use of high-quality, cost-effective care
• HE companies excel in communication and seek employee feedback

Other noteworthy findings include:

• Overtime costs as a percentage of payroll increased by nearly 70% from ’09 to ‘11
• 51% said efforts to reduce employee stress caused by inadequate staffing have had little or no positive impact
• 80% said that employees should be held accountable for maintaining and improving workforce health and productivity
• 80% plan to offer financial rewards for participation in health management programs in 2012
• 38% expect to have financial penalties in place in 2012 for employees who choose not to participate in health management programs and activities
• 16% are planning on achievement-based rewards/penalties - this represents an increasing trend
• Participation in Health Risk Assessments without a financial incentive was 19% - participation increased to 46% with a financial incentive
• Participation in biometric screenings without a financial incentive was 25% - participation increased to 45% with a financial incentive
• Participation in disease management programs for chronic conditions without a financial incentive was 14% - participation increased to only 16% with a financial incentive
• Only 26% of managers and/or senior leaders serve as role models for healthy lifestyles, and less than 20% regularly participate in employee health communication or share their personal health stories