Healthy Cost Savers in the Work Place

The cost of disease in the work place is becoming catastrophic. Currently, it is estimated that the cost of medical services is seven times the national inflation rate. With all the other competing costs that businesses incur, believe it or not, health care is probably the most costly and also the least addressed.

To build the case for focusing on health as a cost saving measure, let's start with some definitions of disease.

According to en.wiktionary.org

Disease is...

1. "an abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort or dysfunction"
2. "Lack of a feeling of ease; uneasiness"

According to www.understandinganimalresearch.org

Disease is...

• Malfunctioning of the body or any part of the body resulting from any number of influences, including genetic errors, toxins, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and environmental factors.

According to autistics.org/resources/glossary

Disease is...

• "an alteration of a living body that impairs its functioning"

According to montana.edu

Disease is...

• "stress condition produced by the effects of a pathogen on a susceptible host"

Yes, disease is often caused by tangible factors. Overeating, smoking, lack of exercise are the obvious causal factors. The bad news is, the intangibles are the factors that are really causing health care costs to rise. The intangibles such as feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and loss of personal value and worth are much so more costly because of the insidious impacts in all aspects of life and work.

The focus to decrease health care costs must shift from disease management to health management. Wellness programs are a great start. However, to really make a substantial impact, we as business and community leaders will need to focus on totally different frontiers. Frontiers such as Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Resilience and other so called "soft skills" are shown to have substantial impact on the bottom line. When companies focus on these new frontiers, there is a much more sustainable health impact on not just the benefit dollars expended but also the productivity costs that are flowing out the door.

The Cost and the Benefits of Avoidance

"A typical vice...is not saying anything real on real issues."
Theodore Roosevelt

Avoidance is defined by The Free Dictionary by Farlex as"the act of keeping away from or preventing from happening."

When one chooses an avoiding position, decisions are delayed if made at all. Small problems - the infamous "molehill" because the proverbial "mountain." Whatever the motive, unaddressed symptoms are so overwhelming that the real "disease" is never found.

In the avoidance, if this mode directly impacts areas of life or work that we have direct responsibility then collaboration is sacrificed and success is rarely achieved. A simple strategy to determine whether to use avoiding behavior or not is called a "cost-benefit" analysis.


Situation A:
An individual sees waste and inefficiencies everywhere and avoids getting involved:


Costs:
Loss of market share
Loss of salary increases
Loss of job

Benefits:
Lighter work load
Less clutter
More time for TV and sleep

Situation B:
An individual works with an individual who encroaches on time, money and resources without any regard for how it impacts others and decides to remove themselves from lunches, breaks and other opportunities for gripping, complaining and manipulating:


Costs:
Feeling uncomfortable in the other person's presence
Need to learn a new method of interaction and communication

Benefits:
Increased feeling of assertiveness and personal control in life
Increased productivity and professionalism
More time for self

Reminders:

• If the cost is your effectiveness, your sense of self, your very soul and peace of mind, than seek assistance to overcome avoiding behaviors.
  
• If on the other hand, there is very little cost and the benefit to not addressing the issue is greater or it truly is not an issue that you have any control over, by all means - leave the situation alone and work on what you can control
  

If avoidance is intentionally causing one to stay in the background and fly under the radar, than this behavior serves very little purpose and often actually takes away any hope for successful relationships, business and life. On the other hand, if staying out of a situation appears to be avoidance, than so be it - the benefits far outweigh the cost.