Best practices in health and productivity management. (Short Takes).Communities are not the only ones who can gain from paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard to health. A recently completed benchmarking study by the American Productivity & Quality Center and The MEDSTAT MEDSTAT Medical Status Group found that best practice organizations align health and productivity management with their overall business strategies. The study examined short-term disability long-term disability, health promotion and wellness, workers' compensation workers' compensation, payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work. , and employee assistance programs. The insights gained in site visits to best practice organizations include a qualitative analysis Qualitative Analysis Securities analysis that uses subjective judgment based on nonquantifiable information, such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development, and labor relations. of the organizational enablers, implementation strategies, and evaluation methods of the diverse group of innovative companies. The study uncovered several findings, which are fundamental to the success of health and productivity management programs. It was not surprising to learn that senior management buy-in A management buyin (MBI) occurs when a manager or a management team from outside the company raises the necessary finance, buys it, and becomes the company's new management. A management buy-in team often competes with other purchasers in the search for a suitable business. is essential for the alignment of health and productivity management into the overall business strategy. For this to occur, however, there must be an understanding of the cost associated with absenteeism, disability and other health and productivity management related issues. Therefore, data, measurement, reporting, evaluation, and return on investment studies become increasingly import in the process. In addition to management support, best practice companies exhibited a strong cross-functional team In business, a cross-functional team is a group of people with different functional expertise working toward a common goal. It may include people from finance, marketing, operations, and human resources departments. focus and have a champion or team of champions with senior management and business operations personnel as key members to implement and integrate health and productivity management programs throughout the organization. James A. Hawkins is Publisher of Healthcare Briefings, a newsletter available in print, on cassette, via fax, and on computer disk. He can be reached at 800/338-5486. |
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