Does corporate health and wellness coaching work? Yes! Data shows that employees who work one-on-one with health coaches coaches become more engaged in their health, improve in healthy behaviors and reduce health risks. This can lead to greater employee engagement, increased productivity, and an enhanced culture of well-being. In this week’s blog, we explore how health coaching adds value to employees and the organization.
Years of research from Gallup has found that employee engagement with work and well-being are both reciprocal and additive. In other words, each influences the future state of the other and both contribute to how employees act, feel and perform. Together, these factors serve as “a super-charger for a thriving, productive workplace.”
Let’s explore the specific ways working with a health coach can impact employee health and well-being and, in turn, engagement in the organization.
Health coaching for employees improves health and well-being.
Health coaching is an effective way to help your employees with one-on-one support on their well-being journey and has the potential to create positive change not only for an individual’s health but also for the health of the organization. Health coaching also gives employees the motivation and encouragement to start and keep working on health goals. Our research shows that engaging with a health coach is effective in helping employees improve their health by managing and reducing specific health risks, including smoking, physical inactivity, poor sleep, and emotional health.1
Over 80% of employees who engage with the WebMD Health Services’ health coaching program achieve meaningful positive changes in their health. Specifically, coaching participants experienced meaningful improvements in exercise frequency, healthy eating practices, sleep habits and ability to manage stress.1
Employees struggling with obesity who commit to working with a health coach have great success with weight loss. Through our Positively Me® program, we’ve helped one in three participants experience clinically meaningful weight loss of 3% or more of their starting weight.1
Health coaching provides support for employees managing chronic conditions.
Six in 10 adults in the U.S. have at least one chronic disease, and four in 10 have two or more.2 Chronic diseases—like heart disease, diabetes and cancer—are the leading drivers of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures.3 And, chronic conditions cost U.S. employers $575 billion and 1.5 billion days of lost productivity.4 Yet many of these conditions can be improved and better managed by making healthy lifestyle and behavior choices—which is precisely where a health coach for chronic conditions comes in.
For example, consider an employee who is newly diagnosed with diabetes. A health coach can create and facilitate a personalized plan of action to help this person:
- Understand the diet modifications they should make;
- Make a plan to increase physical activity; and
- Adhere to clinical recommendations and medications.
Our data shows that this type of one-on-one coaching for condition management (CM) can equip employees with the tools and support they need to make meaningful improvements in their health.
After working with a health coach, over half of our CM participants moved to a lower condition acuity (severity) level. More so, we have consistently reported improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and BMI levels as well as improvements in clinical measures (e.g., medical adherence; A1C levels for employees with diabetes; use of beta-blockers and other drugs to control high blood pressure).
An analysis of WebMD’s book of business found that the expected number of inpatient hospital stays decreased by 21%. For each additional coaching session, it decreased by 8%. Emergency room visits also decreased by 16% after employees first engaged with a health coach. For each additional session, it decreased by 11%.1
Improved health, better management and fewer setbacks due to chronic conditions means workers enjoy a better quality of life, miss fewer days of work, and are more productive when they are on the job. In fact, our research indicates that improved health risk drives productivity and decreases time away from work due to health issues.1
Health coaching empowers people to be actively engaged in their healthcare.
Despite their best intentions, doctors often can’t spend time with patients to answer all of their questions or help them fully understand their treatment plan. This can leave patients feeling confused and unmotivated to actually change their behaviors.
There is a body of research that supports the connection of patient engagement (i.e., when employees are actively involved in their healthcare experience), to better health outcomes and lower costs. Employees who work with a health coach are enabled to become empowered to take control of their health because they have that extra layer of support. Plus, health coaches consider an employee’s lifestyle, responsibilities, time constraints, and current habits to make personalized recommendations that they can realistically implement—like making minor adjustments to what they buy at the grocery store, or relevant ways to get more movement in throughout the day.
Cultivate happier, healthier, and more productive employees with health coaching.
Adding the services of health coaches to your well-being program can help employees make tangible improvements in their health based on their own interests and goals. Health coaching also helps to reduce current and future health risks and lends support to those managing costly chronic conditions. Additionally, the presence of health coaches in an organization strengthens the culture of well-being and contributes to improved employee morale and productivity. If you’re interested in setting up a program for your organization that includes dedicated health coaches, visit our website or contact us at connect@webmd.net.
