2008 CEO Wellthy Breakfast

The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of Working Well and WELCOA and the resources they provide to businesses. Many in the crowd were astonished by the data provided from a recent Pfizer Wellness Inventory report of nearly 700 surveyed locally. The report contained valuable data to support the case for wellness programs as a way to control healthcare costs and increase employee productivity and morale without having to watch the entire movie.

The 19 page report showed the staggering cost of not just absenteeism, but presenteeism as well. Presenteeism is the lost time in productivity while at work. The report showed that as much as 3.88 hours per 8 hour work day are lost due to conditions like hypertension, migraines, respiratory ailments, diabetes, depression, rhinitis, anxiety, stress, arthritis, asthma and chronic heart disease.

The estimated annual cost of lost productivity while at work and absenteeism for all effected respondents was nearly $360,000 from rhinitis (allergies) alone. Rhinitis accounted for just under $80,000 from absenteeism and over $286,000 in presenteeism costs. It's important to note that these numbers are based on just under 700 respondents. For employers with mutilple thousand employees like state departments or universities, these costs equate to millions.

An expert in the field, Dr. Ron Goetzel, founding director of the Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies, reports that up to 80% of healthcare cost is incurred by presenteeism, not absence from work.

For more on this study or to find out how your organization can become a Working Well workplace, contact Mary Barley at marybarley50@comcast.net

A copy of the Working Well CEO Breakfast presentation and Baptist Health speaker powerpoint are avaliable for download below.