When it comes to developing and
maintaining reliable and healthy
employees, some companies have become accustomed to focusing on treating diseases rather than rewarding health.
Absenteeism is not uncommon in today’s
work force. Worse, some employees bring
their health and personal problems to the
work place, which may impair the quality
of their work and reduce their productivity.
If the problems started at work, it can be
even worse. All it takes to damage a company’s image is one disgruntled employee,
points out Moshe Torem, M.D., from the
Akron General Health and Wellness
Center.
Torem says one way to overcome the
problem is with an integrative medicine
program — one that stresses wellness
instead of being limited to the diagnosis
and treatment of diseases.
Smart Business asked Torem what can
be done in a workplace to move employees
in a new direction.
Employees do miss work because they are
sick, right?
Yes, but some of the major causes of
workplace difficulties are nondisease-related issues, such as smoking, excessive
drinking, lack of sleep, stress from home or
the workplace, unhealthy eating habits,
and the lack of an effective social support
system. Plus, there are illnesses caused by
stress, chronic sleep deprivation and
unhealthy eating.
Any business wants a healthy and reliable
group of employees that can be counted on
to do their jobs. It is well known that stress
impairs the immune system. If the immune
system of an individual is suppressed, they
will be more susceptible to infections. An
employee who does not have a good relationship with a spouse, one who feels
exploited or misunderstood at work, or
one who feels bossed around unfairly, may
develop resentment and react against the
workplace in a passive way. Even if such
employees show up to work, the quality
and productivity of their work will suffer.
They also may call in sick more frequently.
How is an integrative medicine program different from the usual doctor visit?
Integrative medicine combines self-education and awareness, promotion of self-healing and the maintenance of one’s
health. It asks managers to encourage and
promote an atmosphere that is conducive
to a loyal, productive work force. It teaches managers communications skills, such
as effective listening and making employees feel they are valuable and appreciated
members of a team.
What would be the cost of such a program?
The upfront cost must be considered in
reference to the potential savings in the
overall spending on health care. The payoff
to the company is tremendous: People will
show up for work more regularly, do a better job, and will be more loyal. The bottom
line for the company may see an overall
savings in the total sum of the benefit/cost
ratio. Health insurance claims should drop.
You have to start with a work environment that shows the employees that the
company cares about them. Many first-line
employees feel they know better than anyone else how to make their jobs more productive. Effectively listening to their ideas
will improve employee satisfaction and
increase productivity. An angry, resentful
employee may cause a lot of damage.
How realistic is this to implement?
Years ago, it was common for businesses
to give employees a ‘smoke break.’ Many
took 15 to 20 minutes a couple of times a
day to smoke a cigarette. The new no-smoking laws today are great. However,
employees still need to take a break to
improve productivity. Companies can give
their employees 20-minute ‘health breaks’
to take a walk, exercise, meditate, or do
yoga or guided imagery.
Let the employees recharge their batteries and come back to work re-energized
and refocused.
What else can a company do?
Business leaders need to make a paradigm shift, realizing that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We all
know alcohol and drugs are a common
workplace problem. Another huge problem is chronically overweight workers.
Obesity may result in lower productivity
and higher absenteeism as employees contract diabetes and high blood pressure, and
become more vulnerable to developing
heart disease and strokes.
Companies can set up programs to
encourage employees to maintain healthy
weight. For example, when employees
drop weight to a healthy range and maintain it, they will be rewarded.
I’d recommend engaging all workers in a
health promotion and maintenance program. A point system can be established
for achieving individual goals, whether for
body weight, healthy habits, smoking cessation, avoiding abuse of alcohol and
drugs, or for regular exercise and practicing stress management. When employees
earned enough points, they would be
rewarded. Today’s system pays employees
when they are sick, but should reward
them for maintaining good health.
MOSHE TOREM, M.D., is a physician, board-certified in psychiatry. He is medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Akron General’s Health and Wellness Center in Montrose.
Dr. Torem received his M.D. from the Hebrew University School
of Medicine. He is a professor of psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio
Universities College of Medicine. Dr. Torem was recently appointed as chief of the integrative medicine service at Akron General
Medical Center. For more information, visit www.agmc.org.