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May 6, 2010
Health: Every Employer’s Business
Mike Kuczkowski, a senior Edelman executive, ran a marathon on Sunday. He finished in a rather unremarkable 5 hours, walking when he hit the wall at mile 17. But for those of us who knew Mike as an inveterate smoker, an ex-journalist who took up the evil weed while in high school under peer pressure to fit in, just completing the race is the true accomplishment. Four years ago when I saw him smoking outside of our building in Times Square, I made a deal to pay him a few thousand dollars if he quit smoking. If he fell off the wagon, he would owe me the money back. Now the proud father of three little kids, there is no way he is losing this wager. I made the same deal with three executives in our Toronto office, Laura Muirhead, Melanie Preece and Darren Zagoruy, who took up the challenge at a company meeting two months ago. Last week Josh Mansbach in the NY office proudly wrote me on his six month anniversary of quitting, dunning me for the promised reward.
The key message of the Edelman Health Engagement Barometer is that 73% of respondents across 11 countries believe that protecting health is as important as protecting the environment. 72% of people trust a company more if they effectively engage in health. More than 80% of people expect companies across all industries to engage in health, not just pharmaceutical and healthcare providers.
How should companies engage in health? The top three ways are making health related products accessible, communicating health risks of products and helping employees and their families’ lead healthier lives. Here are some programs being implemented by clients seeking to improve employee health:
• Scotts Miracle-Gro offers access to an onsite wellness center, provides employees with reimbursable gym memberships and (like Edelman) subsidizes smoking cessation initiatives.• Adobe has changed the menu at the employee cafeteria to offer more low-calorie options; I witnessed the same at Astra-Zeneca.
• Pfizer is travelling a group of former smokers who quit with the help of its medicine CHANTIX and engage with present smokers; the peer to peer discussions are held in doctors’ offices around the country.
About 50 years ago, I saw a very effective ad on television. A rough looking cowboy, who resembled the Marlboro Man, swaggered into the bar and ordered a beer. He lit up a cigarette but before he could hoist the brew, he collapsed in a coughing fit. That was enough to prompt me to sneak into my parents’ room and dispose of my father’s cigarettes in the toilet. On his third visit to our home in a month, the plumber politely informed my father that he should either stop smoking or put his eldest child up for adoption. The cigarettes went; I stayed. I will continue to incentivize employees to quit because it is both good business and good for my colleagues.
PS: Steve Barrett, PRWeek US editor-in-chief, recently interviewed Chris Graves, OgilvyPR’s CEO and yours truly about the current and future state of PR—click here for the video.
Posted by Edelman at May 6, 2010 9:56 AM |
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Comments
Although this is good for your company in that workers improve their work abilities when they are healthy, caring for the health of your employees goes much further than business. It shows that you care about them as a person and not just as an employee. Who knows how many countless people are influenced (perhaps their families) by one company choosing to health their employees be healthy.
Posted by: Elizabeth B at May 10, 2010 3:52 PM
It is so encouraging to see so many companies, including our own, making strides to support and encourage employees to live healthier lives. As a registered dietitian, I observe the health habits of the working world through a different lens and find the priority that people place on their health very troubling. Given the number of hours Americans spend at work, it is imperative that employers not only encourage employees to prioritize healthy behaviors, but also enable them with the tools, resources and TIME to make a change.
Posted by: Kate, RD at May 12, 2010 11:07 AM
As a marathoner myself, I always respect individuals that make the distance. The time becomes secondary when you are dragging at mile 19. Additionally, I truly respect your initiative to increase the overall health of your organization. Here at CareerBuilder we are taking part in the Live Healthy Challenge, and offer up to $450 in wellness reimbursement. I also spent 6 years as a Sales Manager at Scotts Miracle-Gro, and have nothing be fantastic things to say about their programs.
All the best,
Brett
Posted by: Brett Wienke at May 20, 2010 10:48 AM