Employer-Based Research Study: Wellness In The Workplace Crucial To Business Success

AAOHN Research Reveals Employers' Perceptions on the Issues Surrounding Employee Health

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) has released its employer research findings that uncover employer perceptions of and attitudes toward employee health. The research, released at the AAOHN 2005 Symposium & Expo in Minneapolis during May, was conducted to better gauge executive management's thoughts on issues surrounding their employee's health and wellness. Findings will be showcased as a tool to help the occupational health industry better understand the mindset of corporate decision-makers and the landscape of employee health from the employer perspective.

"Understanding the employer mind-set of employee health is imperative for the occupational health industry to effectively make an impact," said Susan A. Randolph, president of AAOHN. "Through this research, occupational health staff will better understand what currently concerns employers and help their companies effectively address employee health issues. By knowing the executive management team's goals and perspectives, the occupational health staff will ultimately be better equipped to prove their true value and benefit within the workplace."

More than one hundred employers, including human resources executives, medical directors and environmental, health and safety professionals from various industry backgrounds completed detailed one-on-one interviews. Key findings of the study are outlined below.

KEY FINDINGS:

Employee Health: Priorities and Perceptions
Employers responded to questions regarding how they felt about overall employee health, key indicators for hiring an OHN and understanding of how employee health truly impacted the company bottom-line.

• Employee Health is Crucial: 72 percent of executives interviewed indicated that keeping employees healthy is crucial to business success and felt it is their duty to keep employees safe and well.

• Key OHN Hiring Indicators: For executives, the most common signals that indicate the need to hire an OHN:
  
  • High injury or illness rate
    
  • High absenteeism
    
  • Increase in worker's compensation cases
    
  • Government mandates and compliance

• Employers Unaware of Employee Health Impact: Only half of companies interviewed said they do not know the full cost related to employee health- and disability-related issues. Companies who said they did have information available to assess the true costs of employee health issues tended to be the most active in offering value-focused employee health activities such as employee health and wellness programs.

The Perception of OHNs
Research revealed that executive management understands the role of an OHN in the workplace, and considers them a valuable asset to promoting employee health and wellness. Key research findings include:

• Employee Health is Crucial: 72 percent of executives interviewed indicated that keeping employees healthy is crucial to business success and felt it is their duty to keep employees safe and well.

• Key OHN Hiring Indicators: For executives, the most common signals that indicate the need to hire an OHN:
  
  • High injury or illness rate
    
  • High absenteeism
    
  • Increase in worker's compensation cases
    
  • Government mandates and compliance

• Employers Unaware of Employee Health Impact: Only half of companies interviewed said they do not know the full cost related to employee health- and disability-related issues. Companies who said they did have information available to assess the true costs of employee health issues tended to be the most active in offering value-focused employee health activities such as employee health and wellness programs.

The Perception of OHNs
Research revealed that executive management understands the role of an OHN in the workplace, and considers them a valuable asset to promoting employee health and wellness. Key research findings include:

• An Invaluable Resource: When asked to define the value they placed on OHNs in their company, nearly 60 percent of executive management described their occupational health nurse as invaluable to their company. All additional responses were also positive descriptors.

• Seeing the Benefits of OHNs Employers rate top benefits OHNs bring to their business. Top four benefits include:
  
  • Reduced worker's compensation
    
  • Better bottom line due to health and safety programs
    
  • Reduced absenteeism
    
  • Reduced incidence of injuries/fatality

• Understanding the OHN Role: Executive management consistently defined the roles and activities of an OHN with the following descriptors:
  
  • Serve as gatekeepers for health services
    
  • Provide treatment, follow-up and referrals, and emergency care for job-related injuries
    
  • Work with employers on compliance with legal and regulatory requirements (OSHA, FMLA, HIPAA)
    
  • Support employer's healthcare quality and cost-containment strategies

SOURCE: American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)