Combating Unhealthy Lifestyle Temptations: How Do Your Employees’ Decisions Affect Your Bottom Line?
– By Ian Throne
Picture this: it is noontime on a Friday, and you are ready to grab a quick bite with some colleagues. Someone suggests the local burger shop down the street. Ready to go? Not so fast. As a society, we are well aware that fast food is not a healthy choice; however, in the fast-paced world we live in, it is much easier to pick up a quick, calorie-laden meal than finding time to make a healthy home cooked meal. This is a lifestyle change we have grown accustomed to and we rarely think of what the long-term effects of these decisions could be.
The idea of a “Fast Food Nation” has been around for many years, as we can get lost in creative chain marketing campaigns. Legislation passed in recent years has turned the spotlight on the harmful effects of unhealthy eating habits by banning trans-fats, creating calorie intake awareness, and more.
Trans-Fat Ban
Many cities such as New York City and Philadelphia have banned the use of trans-fats, which are known to raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and lower “good” (HDL) cholesterol. Trans-fats increase the risk of heart disease (the number one killer of both men and women today), and can put you at a higher risk for Type2 Diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends limiting trans-fat consumption to less than 1% of your daily caloric intake, which gives you little to no room in your diet for it.
New Calorie Awareness Laws
New “calorie awareness” measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly known as the healthcare reform law, are gradually being rolled out in large chain restaurants and vending machines. These measures are being taken in an effort of increasing consumer awareness on the number of calories packed in unhealthy food choices in the hopes of shifting consumers towards healthier alternatives.
A McDonald’s Big Mac packs 540 calories, which is more than a quarter of the average person’s recommended calories per day. These astounding numbers will surely make you think twice next time you swing into a drive-thru for a quick lunch. While smart decisions on food cannot be something that is forced, awareness of the calories found in fast foods may steer some people to make better decisions about what they put into their bodies.
Employer Responsibilities
Healthcare costs are rising. This statement does not come as a surprise to anyone; however the skyrocketing numbers have turned sponsors of self-funded plans to seek various ways of controlling and quelling the rise of medical costs.
Education of employees is undoubtedly one of the best tools that self-funded employers have to manage medical costs. By offering information to employees on adapting healthier eating habits, employers can actually contribute to lowering healthcare costs. Empowering employees to make healthy decisions is something that a company can directly impact, and in return, affect their bottom line.
What Can You Do?
The health of your employees has a direct correlation to their level of productivity and in turn, the profit of your company. Unhealthy choices may result in an increase in the number of employees’ sick days, decrease in the level of concentration, as well as undue stress and tension around the workplace. Each of these factors contributes to a decrease in employee productivity, ultimately affecting company’s profits and success.
Being proactive in educating your employees can have a direct impact on productivity. Educational seminars that make use of readily available information on the Internet can be a big first step in the right direction. Going a step further, employers can implement a wellness week to kick off a healthy eating campaign initiative, focusing on nutrition and education on “healthy” vs. “unhealthy” food choices along with tips and recipe suggestions for healthy and affordable home cooked meals. Stocking the vending machines in the workplace with healthier alternatives instead of the typical snacks, and working with the chefs on offering healthier menu choices in the cafeteria can help as well. Also, since everyone enjoys free food, sponsoring veggie and fruit trays once a week for employees can initiate healthy choices. There is an endless list of options for starting and maintaining an environment that emphasizes healthy habits in your company.
As with most company-wide changes however, this revolution needs to start at the top. Upper management should be visibly involved in making healthy choices in their diet. Being the catalyst for a healthy and positive environment can be very catching, but may prove to be unsuccessful if management does not make a concerted effort to be involved and stay involved.
The Results
There are many benefits to helping your employees make healthy choices. Easily avoidable sick days, stress-reduction, and increase in productivity are just a few ways your workplace can benefit from healthier employees.
As a self-funded employer, your company will potentially see a decrease in medical costs. As your employees begin making smarter choices, their bodies will gain the ability to fight of disease and seasonal sicknesses. A stronger immune system means fewer sick visits to primary care physicians or hospitalizations.
You can have a direct impact on your company’s profits by creating a healthy environment. Some companies are reporting a decrease in claims costs in companies after implementing wellness programs. Other companies have reported a decrease in visits to primary care doctors after just a single seminar on wellness.
The evidence for the effectiveness of healthy choices affecting the bottom line of company profits and the decrease of medical costs is strong. The question is: how will you respond?
About the Author
Ian Throne has been in the healthcare industry since 2007, first as a claims negotiator, where he quickly rose to be one of the most effective negotiators in the department. He recently moved over to the sales department at Consilium, where his experience as a negotiator has proved to be beneficial to his clients. Consilium addresses the needs of clients who are struggling with skyrocketing healthcare costs. Consilium uses groundbreaking techniques to help control and lower healthcare costs through claims negotiation and bill review. Boasting a team of expert negotiators and a visionary process, Consilium is helping clients receive discounts averaging well above the industry norm. For more information on Consilium, please visit asmarterapproach.com. Ian can be reached at ithrone@asmarterapproach.com.
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