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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Finding A Healthy Company To Work For (Encore)

Tuesday October 7, 2003

Some jobs are more conducive to your well being than others and some, as everyone knows, will make you sick! If you are enthusiastic about living in accordance with self-management principles, you may want to look for an organization that will encourage a wellness lifestyle, not jeopardize it. What are some characteristics of healthy companies?

Besides a good wage, learning opportunities, favorable prospects for career advancement and decent fringe benefits, a commitment to employee health is a good indicator of a healthy company. It's rather surprising to note that many leading organizations are taking bold steps to encourage workers to look after themselves so as to get sick less often. Just last week, the Wall Street Journal described a wide range of initiatives for such actions as exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation and whatever else the company and HMO managers view as healthy activities ("HMOs Try 'Frequent Jogger Points,'" WSJ, 9/25/03.)

Here is a sampling of programs offered through HMOs highlighted in the WSJ account of healthy company initiatives:

Granting prizes and rewards to entice employees to better care for themselves (PacifiCare Health Systems, Aetna, WellPoint Health Networks and Destiny Health.)
Offering rewards for doing things the company believes will lead employees to take better care of themselves, such as taking quizzes that lead to awareness of ways to reduce the risks of illness (Cigna Corp.)

The sponsoring organizations find these efforts provide benefits beyond the key objective of smaller increases in employee health insurance. These include better retention rates, a more productive work force, improved morale and, as a special bonus, the cost of such prizes and rewards is quite modest in relation to the returns.

If you want to know how likely it is that any given company values the health of its work force, explore these kinds of questions:

Does management value personal growth and, if someone at the company asserts that this is the case, what evidence is there for it?
What does the workplace feel like--does it seem comfortable, warm or somehow nurturing to you?
Does management allow time for exercise, family, and other interests?
Will you be able to connect your passions and interests to the responsibilities of your work?
Will this work be satisfying, if done well?
Is there a feeling of community, a positive culture and values complementary to your own to be found at the workplace?
Will you be part of a team or several, and are they encouraged to be self-managing?
Do people already there enjoy their work?
Will you have any value conflicts associating with this firm, or these people?

May you have the good fortune to work for a well company. If not, live well anyway, on your own. Lifestyle artistry is it's own reward, even if nobody is giving you points or prizes for doing the right thing. Look on the bright side, good wishes and be well.

An earlier version of this essay appeared here on November 30, 2000.

Domain: physical
Subdomain: lifestyle habits

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