Three health challenges that matter

Employees are your most valuable asset. Ensuring they stay healthy is critical for a sustainable growth strategy. Many companies offer corporate health insurance plans that help employees cushion expenses during bouts of illness. But such coverage should be just one instrument in a mix of corporate health strategies. Importantly, it is a reactive tool that kicks in only when a problem surfaces, rather than a proactive weapon that prevents health issues in the first place.

According to Pawel Suwinski, Principal Consultant, Frost and Sullivan, when an employee falls ill, only about 31% of total health expenditure is spent on direct medical costs. The majority of healthcare expenses faced by a company are indirect and due to the associated productivity losses.

Organisations with sick workers suffer from absenteeism, the need to hire temporary staff and the costs of training interim employees. In some cases, employers also have to deal with presenteeism, where staff are physically present at work, but not fully functional.

Suwinski says that medical costs can be halved through some simple lifestyle adjustments, and employers should be championing these efforts. Some 75% of all medical costs caused by chronic diseases are best prevented and treated by lifestyle adjustments, he says.

This calls for companies to take a more proactive approach towards workplace health. A well-designed corporate wellness programme can help prevent poor health and in turn ensure that productivity is on-track.

Targeted healthcare programmes will initially have an impact on a company’s bottom line, Chng Shih Kiat, Medical Director, Raffles Medical Clinics says. “But in the long run, promoting a healthy workplace with good practices will lead to greater staff satisfaction, higher staff morale, lower turnover and increased productivity.”

1 Keeping older workers healthy

The greying population is a major concern for employers in Singapore in particular. There, one in six residents is expected to be aged 65 or above by 2020. New re-employment legislation is scheduled to kick in by 2012. Under this, employers will be required to offer re-employment opportunities to their eligible retiring employees up until age 65.

Mature workers are more prone to developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. According to Lam Pin Woon, Chief Executive Officer, Health Promotion Board, employers who carefully monitor their staff demographics and health profiles will be in a better position to respond to staff needs and adopt early preventive measures.

Regular health screenings can help medical conditions before there are obvious signs or symptoms. “Evidence shows that the earlier a condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the chances of delaying its progression and the onset of associated complications,” Lam says.

Certain chronic diseases like diabetes may result in complications and expensive hospital stays if not detected and treated early. A comprehensive workplace health promotion programme can ensure that employees stay in the pink of health and prevent (or at least delay) the onset of chronic diseases.

Richard Kwok, Thomson Medical Centre says leading a healthy lifestyle should not be restricted to after work hours. There are numerous avenues for healthy habits to be practiced in the office, he says, and these should be actively promoted by employers themselves. Some possible examples include introducing in-house gym facilities, offering employees free fruit on a regular basis, and discouraging them from burning too much stress-inducing midnight oil.

2 Dealing with epidemics

Globalisation has facilitated the rapid spread of new strains of infectious diseases like the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the more recent swine flu (H1N1) outbreak. Infectious agents are adapting to traditional control measures and are mutating into more drug-resistant forms, Lam says.

Companies that are not prepared for such events could see their business operations and activities take a major hit. Many business travellers were banned from making trips to Asia during the 2003 SARS outbreak. Employees who were returning from affected countries were asked to take a minimum 10-days in quarantine.

Despite this experience, few companies had the foresight to draw up business continuity plans before the H1N1 flu made itself known early last year. Lam says such wide-scale epidemics and pandemics are becoming more and more possible and employers should have a practiced business continuity plan in place. “Companies should begin looking at alternative working arrangements across different core functions and reassess their business continuity plans every year for relevance and familiarity,” he says.

Following simple precautionary measures could also help reduce the impact of such contagious diseases. Management should educate employees on the importance of personal hygiene; sick employees should be advised to stay home in order to contain any possible spread.

3 Work-life balance

A high-pressure work environment can take a toll on employees. As the market gets increasingly competitive and demanding, many employees are pushing and stretching themselves to unhealthy limits in an effort to secure their employment for as long as possible, Kwok says.

That’s great for the short-term output of an organisation, but employers should also be concerned about the long-term impacts of stress, overwork and work-life imbalance. Employees who are constantly stressed at work can develop mental and physical ailments. “In a fast-paced and competitive work environment like ours, strong mental health becomes all the more important in successfully keeping up with the pace, coping with challenges, and leading a balanced life,” Lam says.