Alarm call for HR managers: 3 health conditions that affect your workforce

Picture this: You come into the office one day to find an employee asleep at their desk. What do you do? For many, the first reaction might bedisciplinarybe disciplinary action, but for one of my clients, this was literally a wake-up call about the impact of chronic conditions on their workforce.

This employee wasn’t napping – she had actuallactually lost consciousness. After the employee ensured my client that she was safe in the immediate term, she later visited her primary care provider and mentioned symptoms that included chronic fatigue and blurred vision.

A blood test revealed she suffered from undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

More than 117 million Americans live with a chronic disease, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as a condition that lasts one year or more and requires ongoing medical attention, limits activities of daily living, or both.

Why should HR leaders care about chronic conditions?

First, almost half of American adults have at least one chronic condition, and 25 percent have more than one.

It’s an issue that affects organizations of all sizes, including yours. Second, and most directly related to bottom lines, spending for individuals with chronic conditions accounts for approximately 86 percent of all healthcare costs.

The good news is that many chronic conditions are the direct result of lifestyle choices, meaning they’re preventable and treatable. If you aren’t directly responsible for your organization’s health and welness programming, you likely manage the people in those roles.

Understanding and addressing the underlying causes of chronic conditions – and empowering your workforce with the right tools to combat those causes – provides a path toward greater health and well-being for your employees, which translates to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and long-term cost reductions.

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Let’s look at how three of the most common chronic conditions impact your employees and what you can do to drive positive change.

Diabetes

Here’s a frightening statistic: The CDC estimates 84 million U.S. adults (about 1 in 3) have prediabetes and 90 percent don’t even know it. Prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but are not yet elevated enough to signal Type 2 diabetes.

This means a sizeable portion of your workforce is unaware they’re at significant risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Complications from diabetes include an increased risk of kidney disease, vision loss, and nerve damage.

There’s also a significant financial burden – healthcare costs for those with diabetes cost 2.3 times more and about 1 in 4 healthcare dollars is directly attributable to diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. It’s estimated this condition alone creates an additional $7,900 in healthcare costs per year per diagnosed adult.

Both prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes can be reversed through healthy lifestyle changes, but your employees first need to know they’re at risk.

What employers and HR leaders can do

Many employers are increasingly making preventive wellness services a part of their benefits packages. As a primary care clinic provider, my organization works with our clients to administer biometric screenings each year that test for conditions like diabetes and hypertension. We’ve found that incentivizing employees – often through some extra money in their HSA or gift cards – significantly boosts employee engagement.

If the screening reveals a condition that warrants further attention, we’ll provide continued intervention via supplemental health benefits such as health coaching or diabetes education to ensure the employee maintains a healthy path forward. It’s a win-win for both the employee and the employer.

Hypertension

More than 75 million U.S. adults have hypertension (high blood pressure). In healthcare, it’s known as the silent killer because it presents few symptoms and significantly increases the risk for fatal events stemming from heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. As a nation, we spend $42.9 billion each year treating hypertension.

Like prediabetes, most people are unaware they’re at risk. Hypertension can be hereditary, but it’s often the direct result of a poor diet, a lack of exercise, smoking, or heavy drinking.

What employers and HR leaders can do?

As an HR leader, you can lead positive change in your organization by implementing programs that emphasize the importance of checking blood pressure regularly and promote healthy living, such as on-site screenings, smoking cessation programs, and fitness classes.

Another option involves partnering with an onsite or near-site clinic provider so your employees have convenient access to healthcare at work or close to home.

High Cholesterol

About 1 in 3 U.S. adults has high cholesterol,? and like hypertension, it has few noticeable symptoms, so regular screenings are important. High cholesterol (or LDL, aka the bad cholesterol) increases the risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke.

High cholesterol is caused by lifestyle factors including obesity, poor diet, and a lack of physical activity, and unfortunately, many Americans don’t visit a primary care doctor often enough or receive regular preventable illnessscreenings to catch cholesterol levels before they become critical.

What employers and HR leaders can do?

You aren’t helping the problem if your break rooms are full of junk foods and sugary sodas. Instead, think about swapping the snack food for fresh fruits and vegetables, provide access to nutritionists and health coaches and offer company-wide incentive programs for employees who make healthy changes.

Noticing a theme here

Many chronic conditions are manageable, preventablewellness, and treatable but difficult to detect without regular screenings and easy access to primary care. Start the conversation at your organization, talk to your benefits professional o,r ask your HR network how they’re tackling the problem.

HR leaders have a choice: Continue down the path of unhealthy outcomes and high costs or take the reins and explore new ways of delivering health benefits.