The Connection Between Employee Health and its Affect on the Workplace

Business/Education and Human Ecology/Speech and Hearing Science (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Living a healthy lifestyle can affect your personal relationships, mental state, and overall wellbeing. Companies are beginning to take note of this impact and implementing policies and programs to facilitate healthy living styles for their employees. Whether it’s putting a workout facility in the office, offering healthier food options in the cafeteria, or outfitting desks with “stand-up” capabilities, many businesses are trying to improve their employee’s health. Fortune magazine estimates that currently only around 7% of US companies have a comprehensive promotion plan to encourage employees to live a healthier lifestyle. Should this percentage be increased? The purpose of this study is to see if employer’s actions promoting wellness have been paying off, what health issues should be focused on in a promotion program, and if, in general, healthier employees tend to see more success in the corporate world. The methodology I used to answer to this issue was gathering and analyzing biometric data from a fortune 100 company. This data helped to highlight the core health issues affecting employees in the workplace. Weight, blood pressure, and stress were the overwhelming risks in 77% of locations from which data was received. Along with this there seems to be a strong connection between an employee’s health risk level and absentee rates. Employees that were considered “health risks” missed on average 3 more days than those with a low risk level. Overall, an average of $436,314 in avoidable health care costs was found at each location. Based on these findings my study helps to show that an individual’s health does have an impact on personal and corporation-wide achievement. This research can be used to support the implementation of health promotion plans.No embargoAcademic Major: Logistics ManagementAcademic Major: Operations Managemen