Workforce Health Engagement™ | Engaging Leader with Jesse Lahey

Grokker is an on-demand wellness solution that engages employees with better health through video, experts, and community. Loved by users in 172 countries around the world and used by top employers like eBay, Aetna, and Pinterest, Grokker was named to the 2017 CNBC Upstart 25 list for successful startups. With over 4,000 exercise, mindfulness, nutrition […]

“Stress is the new fat. It makes us sick, depletes us emotionally, and diminishes our quality of life.” ~ Jan Bruce, co-author of meQuilibrium Just like managing weight, managing stress is about becoming aware of personal choices and making better ones, and rewiring thought patterns so that an individual’s habits sustain well-being rather than sabotage […]

The organizations that are most successful in building a culture of health begin at the top, with key leaders championing a vision that includes the wellbeing of every employee. In this episode, Jesse interviews John Burke, CEO of Trek Bikes, who took a stand 13 years ago that launched a culture that has produced improvements […]

They’re supposedly young and healthy, but a new study shows that more than half of Millennials report having a chronic health condition. In addition, Millennials struggle how to navigate the health care system, starting with choosing an appropriate health plan in the first place. These and other surprising findings are from a new study on […]

The new book, The Power of Fifty Bits: The New Science of Turning Good Intentions into Positive Results, by Bob Nease, PhD, is the first practical guide for business leaders to apply behavioral economics to activate the good intentions of people in their workforce. Behavioral economics has shown that people’s choices and actions often are […]

One of the surprising things about workplace burnout is that no one is immune. Even the most engaged, productive, and passionate people can experience burnout — in fact, their dedication may cause them to be even more susceptible than others. In Engaging Leader episode 019, How to Help Your Team Have More Great Days at […]

  As with any important initiative, it’s vital to have the CEO and other senior leaders actively supporting workforce health engagement. These executives can help to: Articulate why the initiative is important to the organization’s purpose and business strategy, Create buy-in from all levels of the organization, Cultivate a supportive work environment, Dedicate resources, and […]

If you haven’t yet realized it, there’s been a communication revolution building, and it has now reached the tipping point for workforce health engagement. People are now using mobile devices more than desktop computers for digital media, with mobile apps dominating the usage. Text messaging has become the preferred communication method for most people. And people […]

Making the connection between better health decisions and daily energy levels does far more to change employee behavior than telling them about longer-term health consequences. At most organizations, a workforce health strategy includes communication and education to motivate and equip employees and their families to reduce health risks, improve well-being, and prevent the development of […]

Back in episode 14, we talked about the six drivers of behavioral engagement. One driver is Structural Ability; in other words, make it easy for people to take the recommended actions that will improve their physical or financial health. Another of the six drivers is Personal Motivation; make it what they want to do. Gamification […]

The best wellness programs are ones people don’t even know they’re doing. That may sound like a pipe dream, but a leading researcher says it’s realistic and effective. A few small changes in the workplace can change a waistline … and a culture. Leading behavioral economist, food psychologist, and bestselling author Brian Wansink, Ph.D., joins […]

According to The Gallup Organization, only 24% of employees at companies that offer a wellness program actually participate in it. What’s more, only 12% of employees strongly agree that they have substantially higher overall well-being because of their employer. Today we’ll discuss what’s wrong with the traditional approach to workplace wellness, and how your organization […]

A recent study found that the U.S. lags behind other countries in improving disease prevention and life expectancy. America’s weak link? The workplace, according to the study. But it’s also one of the easiest to strengthen, and the workplace provides a unique platform for engaging people to adopt healthier habits. In particular, the still-evolving field […]

Today, more than 80 percent of large and mid-size employers offer wellness programs, and more than two-thirds offer financial incentives to take various wellness steps. However, a large percentage of employers don’t believe their wellness programs are working. In its 2012 national survey, Kaiser/HRET found only 52 percent of employers believed their wellness program was […]

Tobacco-free workplaces have become the norm, but what if your company still has older facilities that have permitted smoking and tobacco products for years? You may face serious resistance from employees, unions, and even local management to transition the facility to a tobacco-free workplace. How do you effectively engage employees and leaders to support the […]

Chronic medical conditions drive more than 75% of health care spending. However, people with a chronic condition typically get care through a health system designed for acute care — fragmented, episodic care triggered by an adverse health event. This episode discusses how employers can better engage the sicker portion of their employees and family members […]

All hospitals are not the same! Many hospitals have much worse rates of infections and medical errors that have a serious effect on employers and their employees, both in terms of financial cost as well as human lives. You probably know about this unfortunate fact of life in health care, but do your employees? How […]

Jesse and guest Abby Green from HealthCheck360 discuss how to combine wellness initiatives and medical management to drive health improvement and reduce overall benefit costs. HealthCheck360 is a health risk management company focused on reducing medical costs, worker’s compensation claims, and absenteeism, while increasing employee morale and productivity. HealthCheck360 provides biometric measurements, targeted communications and […]

Direct contracts and narrow networks of health care providers offer new ways for employers to control the costs of health care.  But many of these arrangements are missing huge opportunities to improve health and deliver true value for the money you spend. Scott Wallace is a visiting professor at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and […]

This episode is the second in a two-part series about leading a health behavioral change. Episode 13 focused on leading a fairly straightforward change, such as influencing employees to get a biometric health screening or to take a financial wellness assessment. Episode 14 addresses leading a more complex change effort, such as influencing employees to […]

This episode is the first in a two-part series about leading a health behavioral change. Episode 13 focuses on leading a fairly straightforward change, such as influencing employees to get a biometric health screening or to take a financial wellness assessment. Episode 14 will address leading a more complex change effort, such as influencing employees […]

The popular weight-loss reality TV show “The Biggest Loser” has inspired many companies to hold weight loss contests for their employees. People love the idea of experiencing fast weight loss, and the idea of a friendly competition seems fun. But while “The Biggest Loser” makes for great reality TV, does it make for a great […]

Workplace clinics can promote employee health, reduce medical and hospitalization costs, and even increase productivity and employee engagement. But there are pitfalls that can waste money and even hurt employee trust. Joe Ellis is Senior Vice President at CBIZ, one of the leading professional service firms wiith more than 200 offices in 33 states, where […]

In episode 1, Jesse and his colleague Terry Sherwood defined workforce health engagement as improving the knowledge, decision-making, and behaviors of employees, their families, and organizational leaders to optimize health outcomes, control medical costs, and enhance workplace productivity. In addition, they discussed five components of workforce health engagement: Population Health Management/Epidemiology Health Consumerism Benefit Plan […]

Earlier this year, the non-profit research group RAND Corporation released yet another study questioning the return on investment (ROI) of workplace wellness. RAND’s new study found that wellness can improve employee health and reduce costs, if the employer strategically engages employees beyond industry-standard lifestyle management tactics. Is it a waste of money and effort for […]

One of today’s hottest trends in workforce health engagement is gamification. Gamification is the use of tactics inspired by games — especially video games — to engage people. Think about what makes video games so alluring and habit-forming for people … they’re fun, of course, but they also provide instant feedback, friendly competition, perhaps a […]

As we discussed back in episode 4, in our interview with epidemiologist Tom Wilson, it’s a good idea to not have blind faith in wellness vendors, but to have a healthy dose of skepticism. For one thing, there are probably leaders and employees at your organization who are skeptical, so you need to anticipate their […]

Many companies are spending huge amounts of health care dollars paying for treatment of medical conditions caused primarily by poor food choices. Then they spend money on top of that for wellness programs to encourage employees to make better food choices. But when you check the food options available in the company’s cafeteria and vending […]

Health care consumerism is a key part of most employers’ strategies for workforce health engagement. This involves tools, resources, education, and motivation to help employees and family members make decisions that optimize health outcomes and cost-effectiveness. What types of decisions? It could be choosing an appropriate hospital, a treatment type, a medication, follow-up care, whether […]

It seems common sense that investing in wellness and other workforce health strategies would be worth all the money and effort that employers are putting into them these days. But what is the actual evidence that there’s a return on investment? It’s wise to have a certain amount of skepticism about the vague promises we […]

Through EdisonHealth, members of contracting health plans can gain access to heart, valve, spine, and transplant care at some of the highest-performing clinics and health systems in the United States.  The EdisonHealth Network contracts with first-rate hospitals and clinics, and then extends the exclusive benefits of these contracts to participating employers and health plans along […]

One of the most common components of a workforce health strategy is wellness communication and education … messages and information to motivate and equip employees and their families to avoid or reduce health risks, improve wellbeing, and prevent the development of serious (and expensive) health problems. Often a wellness program vendor, as part of their […]

Workforce health engagement: improving the knowledge, decision-making, and behaviors of employees, their families, and organizational leaders to optimize health outcomes, control medical costs, and enhance workplace productivity. According to recent studies, the typical wellness or other workforce health program produces only minimal improvement in long-term employee health and health care costs. Some employers, however, have […]