IN DETAIL: HEALTH
Overcoming Employee Health Inertia While a new report shows that many employees aren’t paying enough attention to their health, it provides an opportunity for employers to take action to tackle the problem. – By Aetna International
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esearch findings from Aetna International’s report on Business of health 2020: Why overcoming employee health inertia is essential for organisations, shows that despite access to information and technology, non-communicable and lifestyle-related diseases continue to rise. As a leading global health benefits provider, we set out to explore the attitudes to health of 4,000 office workers in USA, UK, UAE and Singapore, focusing on the health fears of today’s workers and probing the gaps in their own health knowledge. Despite the fact that 96% of those surveyed think about their health at least some of the time, 40% do not go to the doctor to get health issues checked, even if they are concerned, and nearly a quarter (24%) say they are too scared to get a health check. Inflexible and long working hours compound the
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problem, as employees feel unable to take time off to manage their health. The data shows the size and breadth of the challenge, but also provides an opportunity for employers to build happier, healthier, more productive businesses. Below are some actionable tactics that businesses can implement to reduce personal health inertia:
5 ways companies can tackle employee health inertia 1. Know your audience Your company’s health and wellness strategy should be intrinsically motivated. By analysing the factors that motivate employees, understanding their health needs and the social determinants at play, employers can embed health care and healthy behaviours into daily working routines and corporate culture.
