Impact of Employers on Employee and Community Health and Well-being - HERO [Podcast Series]
[:57] Dr. Bantham introduces her guests, Karen Moseley and Dr. Mary Imboden
Karen Moseley is the President of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO).
Dr. Mary Imboden is the Director of Research.
[1:19] Cross-sector collaboration and innovation in worksite health and well-being
“And it's related to physical activity in the workplace, or specifically, they've identified the worksite sector needing to develop consistent criteria for physical activity, physical fitness, sedentary behavior assessment, in worksite health promotion. And some of those policies that we are seeing in the worksite related to physical activity include things like encouraging short activity breaks, walking meetings, allowing employees to meet for 15 minutes for a movement break throughout the day at a specific location so there is some social connection as well.”
[5:53] HERO mission and vision
“So yes, HERO has been around for more than 20 years now, established to bring to light best practices for improving the health of employees and elevating those best practices, sharing the evidence, helping employers to see how to apply the evidence to their workforce.”
“And then about, so about 10 years ago, we had expanded the HERO vision to include or to emphasize the positive influence that employers can have on the health and well-being of not just their employees, but also families and communities.”
[9:21] The role of employers in addressing social determinants of health
“Earlier this year, we released a report on the employer’s priority in addressing social determinants of health. And it asked employers to ask the question, is our community thriving, healthy, inspiring, attractive to talent? Or, is it perceived as deteriorating, sick and unsafe? And it gives a call to action to identify one thing your organization can do in the next 12 months to address the social determinants impacting your employees. And then it goes on to give you multiple examples of ways that you can do that.”
[13:24] The impact of culture on workplace health and well-being
“We saw that cultural support and leadership support have critical roles in developing these high performing well-being initiatives.”
[17:33] Critique of workplace wellness program research
“And the intervention elements included implementation of health promoting policies, workplace environmental changes. And we saw things like, components like smoking cessation, physical activity, a lot of ones that we know help to improve blood pressure, and that's what the study was mainly looking at was hypertension. And so we did see that this worked. And the key elements that I think stood out to the study was the comprehensive approach, the longer timeline, and the individual plans.”
“The importance of an organizational culture that surrounds the comprehensiveness of a well-being approach, of an organizational culture of health—leadership support, top down, bottom up—all of those factors are often missing from some of these studies that are showing less than desirable outcomes.”
[23:30] The impact of workplace wellness programs on health outcomes and costs
“And the conclusion was that employers may achieve cost savings in the short run by implementing comprehensive health promotion programs that focus on decreasing multiple health risks.”
[23:43] Reimagining the impact of employers on health and well-being post-COVID
“I'll highlight a few key areas that COVID really has shined a light on—mental health, social determinants of health, and employee policies around parental leave and caregiving. So the COVID pandemic offers a singular teachable moment for employers who are still intent on protecting the health and well-being of their workforce and of their communities.”
