#TBT: Labor Day and Employees’ Health and Productivity

As part of our “Throwback Thursday” blog series, we’re taking a look at a topic that’s currently in the news and tagging it with previous research, videos or commentaries in a relevant way. As the saying goes, “what’s old is new again” – and we hope you enjoy our wonky twist on #TBT.

Now that the lazy days of summer and Labor Day barbeques have come to an end, many employees are back from vacation this week, which often translates into sitting long hours in front of a computer, limiting their exercise and eating snacks out of their desk drawers.

This deskbound lifestyle is one reason why employers implement wellness programs within their companies—to incentivize healthier choices. Wellness programs are one example of multiple strategies used to promote employee health. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle is important to employers because research shows that when employees are healthy they are more productive in the workplace.

According to a National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) 2011 research report (and our Throwback Thursday pick), employers could benefit from a fuller understanding of the value that a healthy employee population brings to their businesses. “Synergies at Work: Realizing the Full Value of Health Investments” notes that the benefits of optimizing employee health include the value of reduced absence and greater productivity. Employers that recognize the full range of benefits can maximize the value of their investment in employee health.

The report calls upon employers to shift their focus from “How much” they are spending on health care to “What value are we getting for our money?” It explains:

“Employers can contribute greatly to the transformation of the health care system by focusing on value and not simply on financing and who pays. In order for value to be accurately assessed, it is imperative that we move beyond the current paradigm of exclusively measuring medical offsets, and include measurement of the effects in increased productivity that accompany improvements in health. This more robust approach can replace the status quo, which has systematically undervalued the impact of improved health outcomes to businesses and their employees, and can become a catalyst towards the transformation of the health care system.”

The report also includes a series of eight case studies that illustrate how individual employers are realizing the concept of the full value of health. These employers implemented value-based programs that encompass management and care delivery for chronic conditions as well as health and wellness strategies. Evaluation of these programs includes workplace absence and productivity outcomes that help to characterize the full value for employers. 

One of the report’s authors, A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director, University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID), will participate in our September 29 webinar, “Access to Specialty Medications & V-BID”—register today!