Bottom lines can improve with top-down approach to wellness

Edited by Thorpe Benefits from Manulife's Key Approaches to Disability Management, Fall 2003

Prevention - it's arguably the best way to reduce the cost and caseload of both long- and short-term disabilities in the workplace. But how many organizations are championing workplace health in a meaningful way? Research supports the links between employee health, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and ultimately corporate results. While companies are certainly making progress on this front, not nearly enough of them are embracing this valuable concept, say industry observers.

"Organizations need to step back and ask themselves if employees are a valuable resource then what are we doing to support them and reduce stress in the workplace?" says Bill Barker, vice-president of professional services with national EAP and organizational health service provider Wilson Banwell in Vancouver.

"We need more in the way of an integrated approach to wellness among organizations," says a national practice director of group benefits and health-care in Toronto. He says an ideal model for organizations to adopt as a prevention measure consists of three factors:
 o  Health and safety with risk identification and risk controls;
 o  Organizational health, where the leadership of a company and other key factors such as the workplace environment are taken into consideration; and
 o  Workforce health, including early detection and disease management programs as well as a recognition of the importance of work-life balance.

Larger organizations tend to have more wellness and prevention programs, says Craig Thompson, vice-president of business development with Wilson Banwell in Vancouver. He says greater opportunities lie with the small- and medium-sized employers, pointing out this is the fastest growing segment of the economy in Canada.

Prevention Tools
Employers also need to provide their plan members with tools to assess their health risks such as screening initiatives, say workplace health experts. Recent surveys of plan members, notably this year's Aventis Health Care Survey, reveal individuals are looking to their employers for this type of information and regard these institutions as trustworthy resources.

One of the most effective prevention tools an organization can use is an EAP program. "An EAP provides employees with the opportunity to seek help for a problem before it becomes an absence from work or a disability case," explains Barker. Wilson Banwell's program, for instance, includes courses and workshops, available through its Web site, on topics such as leading change for managers, change management and value-based leadership. "There is also one called 'resilience' that covers how to cope with life stressors and it is very popular," says Thompson.

A broad range of diseases - including heart disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes - are preventable. And Thompson adds that "employers need to provide employees and their families with the tools to help manage their health."

Employers do appear to be more aware of the role they play in employee health, says Dr. Gat, national medical director, group benefits and disability with Manulife Financial in Waterloo, Ont. For instance, he says there are a number of initiatives looking at the culture of an organization and how it impacts workers as well as new human resources efforts such as effective dispute-resolution programs that foster mental health by ensuring fairness and reducing unnecessary stress.

More organizations are also interested in creating wellness-focused workplaces that not only offer EAPs, but health initiatives such as an onsite gym, screening programs for illnesses such as diabetes and education materials that help individuals manage their health risks, according to Gat.

There's more underway in terms of employee health initiatives. Gat is seeing an increased use of occupational health nurses and wellness professionals. As well, he and others say insurers are working closely with sponsors to identify the types of medications in high use among an employee population so they can target their prevention efforts. "We are seeing more partnering with insurance carriers," adds Gat.

"Employers can now look to their insurers for resources to help control their disability costs."

Insurers are valuable partners in disability prevention today as they are making more and more services available to employers. "We have data that can provide invaluable information on disability claims trends in the different workplaces," explains Catherine Reader, disability management consultant, with Manulife Financial in Halifax. "Using this information, we have [helped] clients develop prevention strategies to address the largest contributing causes of disability."

For example, Reader says Manulife has provided back care education seminars in hospitals and extended care facilities to help employees identify their risk factors for potentially disabling musculoskeletal conditions. "There is a follow up session for the high risk group," adds Reader, "and a further breakdown to identify the high-risk employees who are already in a pre-disability state. This group then receives individual attention with guidance and recommendations regarding medical attention and treatment to address current symptoms and prevent [any] worsening of the condition."

The results of this initiative are impressive: there have been no musculoskeletal disability claims in the participating group since the sessions began over a year ago.

"If employers are willing to make the investment [in prevention and work with their carrier], they can have a very positive impact - not only on their disability claim incidence, but also on the quality of life of their employees," says Reader.