People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1 - 33

"On-board" employees are twice as likely to
participate in their company's wellness programs, 50 percent more likely to have a
healthy BMI, and report nearly two fewer lost
workdays throughout the year. Moreover,
they are twice as likely to be highly engaged
as employees who are resistant to their
employer's involvement in their health.
Employers must build trust with their employees to overcome the most common workplace
stressors and to connect on personal issues
such health and lifestyles. These are critical
factors to cultivating an environment that can
motivate employees to embrace and sustain
good health habits. But it's important to note
that there is more than one path to building a
stronger relationship with employees. In fact,
the health and well-being initiatives may be
the key factor that connects some employees-including the more health-conscious
employees-to the mission, vision, and direction of the organization.

they do not perceive senior leaders to be supportive of a healthy work environment. Moreover, fewer than half of employees say that
their managers are actively encouraged to
support the health and well-being of their
direct reports. (See sidebar, "Managers and
senior leaders are not perceived as supportive
of employee health," above.)
Effective executives are committed to an organization's strategic priorities and model its
values and culture. From the CEO on down,
they prioritize the development of a culture of
health and reinforce those programs that
deliver strategic value to the organization.
And to build a foundation of trust with their
employees, leaders model the behaviors they
want from employees: They get themselves

Like effective executives, high-performing
managers model a healthy lifestyle. In addition, they provide face-to-face communication using consistent messaging about the
value that health and productivity initiatives
deliver to employees.
Managers also help drive program
engagement. More than half of employees
(54 percent) say that the best managers help
remove obstacles to success, a key driver of
enablement and sustainable engagement. In
the context of wellness programs, this may
involve clarifying program goals and objectives, and providing employees with the tools
to track progress and communicate success.
Effective managers also drive sustainable
engagement in these programs by ensuring

Regardless, these foundational elements will
help employers build a culture of health and
well-being in which engagement in these initiatives is not just a narrow "health" issue.
Rather, the impact of this health culture can
extend to broader worker engagement in the
company. (See sidebar, "Building a culture of
health and well-being," above.)

Strengthening
Executive Leader and
Manager Effectiveness
Multiple research efforts highlight the need to
improve the role of executive leaders and managers in driving health and productivity initiatives. According to the Towers Watson 2014
Global Workforce Study, only 45 percent of
employees say that senior leadership is sincerely interested in employee well-being. Even
more disturbing is the finding from our Staying@Work Survey that reveals senior leader
support is a leading obstacle to changing
employee health behavior in many countries,
including China, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S.
Reinforcing the urgency of this situation,
Towers Watson's 2013/2014 Global Benefits
Attitude Survey indicates that, while employees are receptive to employers taking an active
role in supporting their health and well-being,

in shape; they participate in wellness challenges; they get flu shots. Our research
shows that inspiring and motivating employees is the most important driver of leadership effectiveness. Given that trust and
confidence in senior leaders is a key driver
of employee retention, leadership support
for health and productivity efforts and the
resulting bond of trust between leaders and
employees will help give employees a reason
to stay with their company.

that employees have a supportive environment that energizes them to participate and
sustains them through the required program
activities.
Managers have a particularly dramatic effect
on employee stress. High stress translates
directly to health problems. The American
Psychological Association and the American
Institute of Stress have estimated that stressrelated illness costs U.S. companies more
VOLUME 38/ISSUE 1 - 2015

People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1