When 92 percent of your employees respond positively in an independent survey to the following two statements: “My place of employment is a positive place to work with a common sense of purpose and connection between employees,” and “My organization provides a work environment that supports a balance between work and my personal life,” management should be satisfied.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is the nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. A great way for you to personally get started on this effort is to better understand the important role health and wellness play in your personal cancer risk.
Companies are catching on to the benefits of having healthy employees and encouraging them to take time during the work day to get or stay fit.
Rising health care costs have driven businesses to look at ways to improve the health of their employees. Walking clubs, bike rides and exercise rooms all have filled niches for physical activity and helped make a difference. But one new idea in office fitness involves a much more sedate approach.
It’s happening right in our back yard. At Brown University, at major local hospitals, in business and academic labs, and in private medical practices, cutting-edge research is being conducted that promises to prevent and cure cancer, protect millions from HIV infection, make paraplegics walk again, and much more. Take Dr. Timothy Murphy, at left, who is leading a multi-center clinical trial of exercise and other treatments for a debilitating arterial disease.
Sometimes the problem is at home – a sick child or parent, financial troubles, marital strife – and sometimes they are at the work place. Much of the time, the problem is trying to balance it all. The stress builds up, people walk around anxious and unhappy, and they become less productive, less focused on their jobs, more difficult to work with. They also become more likely to fall ill. That’s why reducing on-the-job stress and teaching coping skills can really pay off. At left, “Dr. Bounce,” far left, and “Nurse BB” help Beverly Freitas de-stress during a recent Lifespan health fair.
Few companies know the effects of stress as well as Lifespan and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island – two large employers, each with a dual perspective on the issue: from their own experience, and from their expertise as leaders in the health care sector. So, how do they deal with it?
