Drilling Down
Workers' Compensation
Not necessarily obvious, unhealthy lifestyles actually result in excess workers' compensation claims. Figure #6 illustrates the findings from a study performed on 3,338 Xerox employees over a 4-year period. The phrase "Low Overall Wellness Score" refers to a below average rating resulting from a health risk assessment - a questionnaire that inquires into things such as tobacco use, exercise, perception of health, etc. Workers' compensation claims were 1989% higher for employees with a low overall wellness score.
Risk Prevalence
Many employers might not be aware of the prevalence of costly behaviors within their population. Figure #7 summarizes the findings from a study performed on 35,451 employees from 28 businesses.
Multiple Risk Factors
A study was performed on 28,375 employees from one large national company to determine the impact of multiple risk factors on productivity. For those with no risks, it was actually found that there was a productivity loss of 11.9%. The figure below shows the excess risk - the amount above the 11.9% loss - experienced by employees with multiple risks. For example, the total productivity loss for an employee with four (4) risks was 21% - 11.9% baseline loss plus 9.1% illustrated in Figure #8. Not shown in the chart is the prevalence of multiple risks within the population for which a sampling follows: 19.6% with 2 risks; 9.8% with 4 risks; 3.6% with 6 risks.