I received two survey releases within the last few days: one from ComPsych that outlined employees’ main health priorities for 2011, the other from Unum that revealed what HR pros’ identified as their biggest challenges this year.
The bad news? That the results of either survey wasn’t more newsy. Honestly, you probably could guess them without having to read much more of this post.
In the ComPsych poll, employees said their top health priorities are weight loss (39%), dealing with stress (23%) and exercise (22%). Among employers in the Unum survey, almost 60% said managing benefit costs is a top challenge, 45% said employee engagement and 40% cited dealing with health care reform.
But the good news is that the results — although not particularly surprising — are pretty much a big Venn diagram. Those circles definitely overlap, at least from where I’m sitting.
If employees are placing greater emphasis on getting control of their health, then they’ll be more receptive (thus, engaged) in related messages from their employer. If they’re more engaged, it stands to reason that participation in wellness and other health improvement programs will increase and help employers manage benefits costs and take some of the sting out of complying with health care reform.
Right? Or, do I have my rose-colored glasses on again? Share your thoughts in the comments.
