Workplace wellness

Hocking Cheng

Managing Director Greater China, Aetna Inc.

The employer’s role in supporting the health and wellness of their employees is evolving. In the past, employers sought to provide a financial safety net for employees who fall ill. Later, they realised the benefits of providing preventive treatment, such as routine check-ups and vaccinations.

Most recently, employers have started to take an even more holistic view of wellness - for both employees and their families - and consider wellness an important aspect of a comprehensive healthcare benefits program. They are finding benefits not only from lower medical costs, but also in improved productivity, and lower absenteeism and “presenteeism” (employees showing up to work but not fully productive).

Employers today are looking for targeted, customised solutions that deliver strong ROI. This is not easily accomplished by one-size-fits-all solutions. The first step is to gather and analyse health data. This provides insights into the health risks of employees, and identifies areas where intervention can provide the most benefits. These areas include diet and exercise, smoking cessation, mental health or stress management.

Dr Barry Thng

Chief Executive, Alliance Healthcare Group

Studies have shown that improving the physical and mental well-being of the employees enhances productivity and helps to contain both short-term and long-term healthcare costs.

To optimise the benefits of a successful wellness programme, it is essential to assess the needs and demographics of the workforce through a health risk assessment (HRA) tool which provides the relevant insights needed for the planning of relevant and effective intervention programmes.

Customising wellness programmes at the individual employee level is essential because a cookie cutter approach to individual wellness does not resonate with an individual who believes their needs and concerns are unique.

Such tailored intervention programmes for each individual can be supported by patient’s empowerment tool such as a personalised online health portal, providing employees with ready access to their health records, biometric parameter trending, and health tips and information relevant to their current medical condition anytime of the day. Finally, a successful wellness programme will need to demonstrate clear return on investments.

Lam Pin Woon

President and Executive Director, Healthway Medical Corporation

We have observed that companies are investing more resources in preventive healthcare, such as health screening, vaccination and health education. Employers are placing more importance on the Workplace Health Promotion programme as promoted by Health Promotion Board to create a healthier and more productive workforce.

Companies are also seeking medical providers with integrated Information Technology (IT) platforms. Our Clinicweaver portal that links our network of 60 General Practice clinics helps to integrate patient registration, drug dispensing and billing functions. This good IT infrastructure enables us to raise our service level to provide companies ease in managing healthcare expenses.

To sustain long-term corporate wellness programme, companies are expecting us to provide them with more insights to support their initiatives. Our online portals allows clients to view utilisation statistics and edit employees’ medical entitlement. We can generate a range of standard and customised reports to provide useful information to assist companies in programme implementation and improvement.