I spent an exciting day attending the seminar appropriately named “A New Era of Healthcare” held by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. It was an outstanding event that provided access to a dozen interesting topics presented by ERISA attorneys, industry experts, and renowned doctors.

We reviewed topics such as compliance updates, healthcare reform, employer shared responsibility, counting hours, reporting requirements, health plan modernization, healthcare exchanges, ethics, defined contribution strategy, FMLA management, executive benefits & retirement trends, ACA – Accountable Care Act, and the all important need for a different view of Wellness.

People are precious resources, they drive your organization.  It is vital to understand where we are currently in our healthcare system, where we need to go, and HOW do we get there…..By providing the best strategic opportunities for the company and employees, through offering a variety of options that can be customized to individual needs.

Customize a health plan for your specific company culture.  Our health management system and work cultures are not structured as they used to be.  Thus this “New Era” of healthcare must be managed wisely.  Offering greater individual flexibility in options and encouraging accountability in the healthcare industry as a whole, should be a goal.  Providers and doctors need to do their part to keep the costs down for everyone as well.

Understand that health goes beyond the physical requirements.  Being “healthy” is also having a feeling of wellness “well-being”.  Creating a culture of wellness is beneficial not only to employees, but also to the company’s overall financial health.  Companies must go beyond tobacco cessation and weight loss incentives/disincentives when they think about creating wellness within their organization.  It should be a goal imbedded within the culture.  Company culture is greatest influenced by leadership from the top down.  It creates a sense of importance to be upheld and should align with your company values.   Research shows that monetary incentives don’t last.  Health and wellness management through solid life style choices can be greatly influenced by our work culture.

Find out what employees want. Companies should take advantage of any internal resources they may have.  There is probably a wealth of knowledge and experience from within that can be beneficial financially, as well as increase employee participation when led or encouraged by managers and peers.  Even if you don’t have a yoga instructor in the house, you can support one another by building community within the organization that shows concern for one another.  We all want to thrive!  Thriving at work is being emotionally supported by managers.  There is no greater myth in managing a team or company than believing financial compensation is a sufficient incentive to engage and retain top talent and drive high performance.

Develop a lifestyle of wellness.  Setting oneself up to succeed is the best place to start, by putting yourself in the right environment.  Make a plan and work your plan!  Individuals today are choosing companies that fit their lifestyle and values.  It goes way beyond the financial stability of the company or how long they’ve been in business.  You want to create a company culture that truly values its employees.

By Lisa Monk, Imprimis Group Director of Human Resources