bonddonraj
Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Whose Health Is It Anyway?
Posted by Gill Corkindale on August 28, 2007 12:16 PM
How would you feel if your health became part of your annual appraisal at work? What if your fitness level determined your career opportunities? Would you be happy working for a company which actively monitored your health? Or where your senior managers made a point of showing their health credentials, eschewing long lunches and company dinners in favour of long runs and company work-outs?
For some people, this would be a vision of heaven, while for others it would be hellish. Consultancy PriceWaterhouseCoopers has been considering these questions in a research paper, Working Towards Wellness. It suggests that the workplace is the ideal place to monitor and improve health and even posits that some companies are better placed than governments to manage health. PWC interviewed senior managers in 26 global companies, including Nestle, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Telstra and Wipro, on the impact of chronic disease on their businesses. Having examined best practice in developing and maintaining wellness programs, the report concluded that, given adequate support, “employers can enhance the productivity of the workforce, reduce the growing burden of healthcare costs, make the workplace more attractive and build a better and more healthy global community.”
No one would question that health is a critical issue, but I think PWC is a bit zealous on the subject. But is it really businesses’ responsibility to “build a more healthy global community”? Corporate initiatives to prevent infectious diseases, vaccinate against malaria or manage HIV/AIDs in the developing world deserve praise, but is it really your responsibility as a manager to ensure that your staff remain trim and active? Many companies now offer healthy food in company canteens, gym membership and physical check-ups, but others are in danger of crossing the line when it comes to monitoring and encouraging healthy habits. I know of one London media company whose CEO makes a point of walking through the office in his cycling shorts (to everyone’s embarrassment), while a financial services firm makes its staff wear pedometers to ensure they are walking enough during the day.
For some, this focus on their health is an unwelcome intrusion into their private lives, while for others it is a welcome sharing of responsibility. Who has not been frustrated by the colleague who never exercises and takes more sick days than the rest of the department? Or the team-member who is always tired and hung-over yet refuses to eat properly or have an early night?
According to the World Health Organisation, chronic diseases and obesity are on the rise in the developed world precisely because we are not managing our health properly. In the US, UK, Brazil and South Africa, more than 50% of the populations over the age of 15 are already obese. By 2015, the same will be true of China, while obesity rates in the US will have risen to 80%. As the workforce ages, poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking will mean that even more employees will succumb to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes.
Let’s not forget that business is responsible for creating some of the conditions that give rise to poor health: long working hours, increased stress, more business travel and the sedentary nature of work are all contributing factors. So what is the best approach? Should companies review the pressure they put on employees and encourage a better work-life balance rather than introducing hollow wellness initiatives? Or should they leave the health and well-being of individuals to their own consciences?
Posted by Gill Corkindale on August 28, 2007 12:16 PM
How would you feel if your health became part of your annual appraisal at work? What if your fitness level determined your career opportunities? Would you be happy working for a company which actively monitored your health? Or where your senior managers made a point of showing their health credentials, eschewing long lunches and company dinners in favour of long runs and company work-outs?
For some people, this would be a vision of heaven, while for others it would be hellish. Consultancy PriceWaterhouseCoopers has been considering these questions in a research paper, Working Towards Wellness. It suggests that the workplace is the ideal place to monitor and improve health and even posits that some companies are better placed than governments to manage health. PWC interviewed senior managers in 26 global companies, including Nestle, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Telstra and Wipro, on the impact of chronic disease on their businesses. Having examined best practice in developing and maintaining wellness programs, the report concluded that, given adequate support, “employers can enhance the productivity of the workforce, reduce the growing burden of healthcare costs, make the workplace more attractive and build a better and more healthy global community.”
No one would question that health is a critical issue, but I think PWC is a bit zealous on the subject. But is it really businesses’ responsibility to “build a more healthy global community”? Corporate initiatives to prevent infectious diseases, vaccinate against malaria or manage HIV/AIDs in the developing world deserve praise, but is it really your responsibility as a manager to ensure that your staff remain trim and active? Many companies now offer healthy food in company canteens, gym membership and physical check-ups, but others are in danger of crossing the line when it comes to monitoring and encouraging healthy habits. I know of one London media company whose CEO makes a point of walking through the office in his cycling shorts (to everyone’s embarrassment), while a financial services firm makes its staff wear pedometers to ensure they are walking enough during the day.
For some, this focus on their health is an unwelcome intrusion into their private lives, while for others it is a welcome sharing of responsibility. Who has not been frustrated by the colleague who never exercises and takes more sick days than the rest of the department? Or the team-member who is always tired and hung-over yet refuses to eat properly or have an early night?
According to the World Health Organisation, chronic diseases and obesity are on the rise in the developed world precisely because we are not managing our health properly. In the US, UK, Brazil and South Africa, more than 50% of the populations over the age of 15 are already obese. By 2015, the same will be true of China, while obesity rates in the US will have risen to 80%. As the workforce ages, poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking will mean that even more employees will succumb to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes.
Let’s not forget that business is responsible for creating some of the conditions that give rise to poor health: long working hours, increased stress, more business travel and the sedentary nature of work are all contributing factors. So what is the best approach? Should companies review the pressure they put on employees and encourage a better work-life balance rather than introducing hollow wellness initiatives? Or should they leave the health and well-being of individuals to their own consciences?