Transamerica Releases Findings on Workplace Wellness Programs

BALTIMORE, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Transamerica announced today the availability of "Impact of Employee Health on Business Success," a research paper that provides analysis and recommendations for creating effective workplace wellness programs.  The white paper alerts employers to risk factors and mitigation of chronic health conditions.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, workplace health programs are a coordinated and comprehensive set of health promotion and protection strategies implemented at the worksite. These programs include policies, benefits, environmental supports, and links to the surrounding community designed to encourage the health and safety of all employees.

The white paper explores, discusses and analyzes many factors surrounding workplace wellness programs, including:

• that a healthy, resilient workforce is a business' greatest asset, yet employers are unfamiliar with the most common risk factors that lead to chronic health conditions and their extraordinary costs;
• how the status of corporate and employee health are interlinked, with an emphasis on proactive measures business owners can implement to resolve the enormous challenges employee health expenditures create;
• the rationale for the establishment of workplace health programs;
• the practical application of comprehensive wellness strategies that may generate a moderation of total health care costs while significantly boosting productivity, employee satisfaction, and business profitability, regardless of the size of the workforce.

The white paper was prepared by Transamerica's Bill Lloyd, MD, FACS, Advanced Markets Health Director. Dr. Lloyd is an experienced clinician and award-winning medical educator who has authored and co-authored more than fifty original scientific manuscripts, research abstracts, and medical textbooks.

"The potential rewards for businesses that embrace workplace wellness are not limited to employee health cost savings. A healthy workforce that appreciates an overall sense of well-being, reinforced by management's concern for their continued good health, can directly contribute to the achievement of business goals," said Dr. Lloyd. "Workplace wellness programs can be organized into lifestyle management and disease management silos. We've reviewed research that has shown that chronic disease management generates faster and larger cost savings. Businesses should consider focusing efforts on the most prevalent chronic health conditions: hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic spine pain. Reducing chronic illness results in a healthier workforce and lower healthcare costs for employers. A healthy workforce generates enhanced productivity and reduces operational costs for the business."

Dr. Lloyd is quick to mention that it would be unfair and inaccurate to place blame for poor health exclusively at the feet of employees.  "Workplace stress itself can be unhealthy!  Beyond that, stress created by mounting debt, especially student loans, as well as by increased productivity demands can generate significant adverse employee health consequences. Employer workplace wellness programs are just one component to enhancing employee health, and not the sole solution to this complex problem," he said.

Earlier this year, Transamerica announced a new Wealth + Health brand identity focused on helping customers improve their overall well-being by effectively managing both their wealth and their health. Transamerica recognizes that financial security and physical health are not only inherently connected, but they are two essential components for living a long, meaningful life. Making wise choices and forming small habits today can have an exponentially positive impact on one's future.  Transamerica developed numerous resources to help customers and financial professionals understand how Wealth + Health are connected, which are featured on its redesigned website, Transamerica.com.

The white paper can be accessed on Transamerica's website.

About Transamerica
With a history that dates back more than 100 years, Transamerica is recognized as a leading provider of life insurance, retirement and investment solutions, serving millions of customers throughout the United States. Recognizing the necessity of health and wellness during peak working life, Transamerica's dedicated professionals work to help people take the steps necessary to live better today so they can worry less about tomorrow. Transamerica serves nearly every customer segment, providing a broad range of quality life insurance and investment products, individual and group pension plans, as well as asset management services. In 2017, Transamerica fulfilled its promises to customers, paying more than $35.6 billion in insurance, retirement, and annuity claims and benefits, including return of annuity premiums paid by the customer. Transamerica's corporate headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland, with other major operations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Transamerica is part of the Aegon group of companies. Based in the Netherlands, Aegon is one of the world's largest providers of life insurance, pension solutions and asset management products, operating in more than 20 markets worldwide. For the full year of 2017, Aegon managed $982 billion in revenue generating investments. For more information, please visit www.transamerica.com. 

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SOURCE Transamerica