12 1/2 Reasons Why Businesses Can and Should Be Leading the Revolution to Control and Prevent Diabetes

By Nancy L. Heinrich, M.P.H.

1. Money. That's what you'll save. Businesses are currently paying about half the total national price for diabetes (more than $174 billion a year in direct and indirect costs in 2007, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Our country needs transformational leaders as the confluence of rising health-related costs and worsening employee health threatens America's economic engine.
2. Productivity. Your company's productivity will increase when you actively educate employees and do more than just pay the bills for their diseases. Most health insurance carriers are not in the business of working with you to improve your employees' health. Create a new demand for health instead of disease because one worker's productivity can cost a worker with diabetes between $3,700 and $8,700 in annual earnings. The sooner we start leading by example, the sooner your company's productivity will increase.
3. Absenteeism. When your company takes action to improve the health literacy of your employees, your company's absenteeism will decrease. When your employees with diabetes feel better and their blood sugar is well controlled, they're less likely to call in sick, you don't have to find a replacement for them, and HR staff won't waste time processing a sick day or two or three for payroll.
4. Presenteeism. This is the term for diminished on-the-job performance due to impairment by health risk factors, health problems, or work/life issues. Unmanaged health issues, such as diabetes, migraine headaches, or asthma attacks can impair productivity significantly when they are viewed cumulatively across an organization. A diabetes health literacy program offered at lunchtime combined with healthy cooking classes will increase the presenteeism of your employees with diabetes. When they feel better, they will waste less time at work dealing with the effects of uncontrolled high and low blood sugars. By offering these programs to all employees, you are building a support system for everyone coping with this disease at home in their own families, not just at work.
5. Value. You create value for your company in the eyes of the community when you bring programs to your employees which educate them about diabetes self-management.
6. Healthier employees and families. When you bring in programs and services for your employees and their family members with diabetes, there is a ripple effect on other employees who are overweight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and who smoke. When was the last time you surveyed your staff about the health issues facing their families? Please note that employers are paying more than $193 billion a year for their smoking employees. How much is it costing your business?
7. Healthier foods. Feature high quality foods at seminars and staff meetings. Forget the donuts. People will appreciate having healthier lunches and snacks as they learn how simple changes can reduce their weight, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar. Talk with the snack machine vendors who are supplying high sugar and high calorie snacks and sodas and tell them you are making changes and you expect them to change in order for them to retain your business.
8. Media coverage. Your company will be a media favorite when you bring in fun lunch and learn programs featuring area chefs and locally grown foods. Support the local economy!
9. Show me the (employees') money! Your employees will save money as their health literacy improves and their out-of-pocket expenses for prescriptions, office visits, and health care premiums decrease.
10. Lower health care premiums. Stop the bleeding of 5-10% annual premium increases. As your employees learn how to control and prevent diabetes, you will increase your company's ability to negotiate with your health insurance carrier to lower your health insurance bills. Can you say ka-ching?
11. Improved employee morale. Instead of people thinking, 'Boy, this job stinks,' they will talk about how lucky they are to work for your company.
12. Lower workers comp and disability bills. What is your company's BMI (body mass index)? Educate, motivate, and support your overweight and obese employees to move towards healthier weights. Being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes. Workers compensation and disability claims will decrease because as you educate and support employees with diabetes who are overweight, other overweight employees will want in on the action and the positive results. Communicate clearly about the high-value low-cost incentives you're putting in place to encourage people to be their best! When people feel better, they work smarter, and they show up more often at work. What a concept!
13. You have a call. It's from the folks from the annual 'Best Places to Work' list.

Add your own reasons about how your company can and should be taking an active role to improve the health of its employees with diabetes. To provide global leadership for solving the challenges facing our country and our planet, transformational leadership is needed to solve America's health care challenges. The world is waiting for your greatness to shine the light so that people with diabetes no longer live in fear.