Nationwide Better Health Enhances Absence and Leave Management Services

2008-08-21 16:30:03 -

www.nwbetterhealth.com - Nationwide Terri Erlenbach, 614-249-5755 erlenbt@nwbetterhealth.com or Elizabeth Stelzer, 614-249-1025 stelzee@nationwide.com Nationwide Better Health(SM), a leading provider of health and productivity management solutions, released an enhanced version of its Time Off Planning Service (TOPS) to help companies better manage absence policies in their workplace and identify employees in need of health management services.

Sixty-nine percent of organizations say controlling unscheduled absences continues to be a concern(1). In order to give employers a more uniform approach to absence policy enforcement, Nationwide Better Health has installed new capabilities within TOPS that allow companies to:

-- Mark absences as unexcused

-- Establish probationary periods

-- Generate disciplinary letters

-- Keep an accurate record of unexcused absences

-- Show policy violation trends over time or across organizational units

"Monitoring and addressing the reasons why employees are absent from work, not only helps companies better plan their daily staffing needs, but also ensures consistent application of absence policies and provides management with actionable information regarding the root causes of absences," said Holly Snyder, president of Nationwide Better Health.

Employers can minimize the impact unplanned absences have on both productivity and profit by monitoring employee attendance and addressing the reasons behind employee absences. In a recent national survey of American workers, Nationwide Better Health found that unplanned absences result in increased stress and workload for employees and negatively impact companies' bottom lines. Additionally, the company found that more than 75 percent of unplanned absences are related to a health condition(2).

Nationwide Better Health is the only company to analyze absence tracking to trigger action when unaware employees need health coaching, disease management and other health and productivity services.

Key analyses made possible by TOPS include:

-- Identifying absence patterns where employees would benefit from additional support for a recurring condition that frequently keeps them away from work

-- Referring chronically absent employees into the appropriate health management programs

-- Allowing employees to automatically self-enroll in a referred program

On average, workers who suffer from asthma, diabetes or hypertension cause an estimated 1,221 days of absence per 1,000 workers each year, costing employers $30 billion in wages and lost productivity(3). When enrolled in the appropriate health management program, employees can receive the support they need to improve their health and reduce chronic occurrences that keep them from work. Employers can experience up to a 28 percent reduction in absenteeism costs when offering health promotion programs in the workplace(4).

Nationwide Better Health's absence management offering tracks intermittent and concurrent leaves and easily integrates with the company's disability administration and health management services resulting in a streamlined employee experience.

In addition to its robust absence management program, Nationwide Better Health offers its own Nationwide Better Health Check(SM) - health risk assessment, along with on-site health screenings, a comprehensive health and wellness program focused on weight management, nutrition, stress management, tobacco cessation and physical activity. Additionally, Nationwide Better Health offers more than 20 different disease management programs that address specific chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, along with maternity, medical and disability management. These programs are delivered by dedicated health coaches using a variety of telephonic, mail-based and online tools and resources.

About Nationwide Better Health

Nationwide Better Health(SM), a subsidiary of Nationwide(R), is a leading provider of health and productivity management solutions, aimed at improving the health and productivity of America's workforce. Nationwide Better Health is the first company to truly integrate the best collection of health and productivity services available today, including health and wellness, and disease, disability, absence, medical and maternity management. The company's offerings work together and independently to address both sides of the cost equation: increased efficiency of health and productivity programs and better employee health and well-being to reduce health care-related costs. For more information, call 866.404.6924 or visit: www.nwbetterhealth.com.

Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Nationwide Better Health and Nationwide Better Health Check are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

(1) Mercer Survey on Health, Productivity and Absence Management Programs, 2007

(2) The survey results are based upon telephone interviews conducted among a national probability sample of 862 adults, comprised of 512 men and 350 women, 18 years of age and older, and employed full-time. Interviews were conducted by Opinion Research Corporation between March 8 and March 12, 2007. The margin of error is approximately plus or minus 3 percent.

(3) American Hospital Association

(4) Chapman, L. (2003). Meta-evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies. Art of Health Promotion Newsletter, 6(6).

New Capabilities Allow Companies to Better Manage Absence Policies