A more enduring path to employee wellbeing
For LAZ Parking, an important part of employee wellbeing is preventive care, and health coaching has proven to be an integral factor in preventive care adherence. As the old proverb says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here is what the data tells us.
Did you know?
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, preventive care services could save more than 100,000 lives in the U.S. each year1. Chronic diseases alone, like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, are responsible for 7 out of 10 American deaths annually2. Yet, many people in the United States don’t get recommended preventive health care services, even though these services are often available at no charge through health insurance.
• According to the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, the average annual spend for one employee with at least one chronic condition is $6,032 and 60% of American adults have at least one chronic condition3. For employers, helping employees find a path to wellbeing that may help them avoid a chronic condition could significantly and positively impact not only the employees but the company as well.
The “why?”
LAZ Parking is one of the largest parking companies in the United States, with operations spanning 39 states from Connecticut to California. Such a large business requires A LOT of people to keep things running smoothly, and LAZ employs nearly 14,000 hard-working individuals to do just that. Being a people-first organization, LAZ recognized that employee health and wellbeing have a direct impact on the wellbeing of the company as a whole.
The “how?”
LAZ partnered with WellSpark to help deliver the best whole-person health and wellness resources for the company’s greatest asset. To best support its population, LAZ opted for a combination of two of WellSpark’s programs, Health Coaching for Life and Help364. Both programs include one-on-one support to help individuals unlock personal barriers to change, one led by Health Coach Educators and one led by Nurse Wellness Coaches. They paired these coaching programs with a compliance-based incentive program for employees, along with proactive outreach to individuals to get them engaged.
The case for preventative care
WellSpark has always understood that life and work demands can make it difficult for people to make wellbeing a priority. While the coaching experience supports many bio-psycho-social factors of an individual’s life, many of which can’t be easily measured, some of the data we can measure shows us just how beneficial this relationship can be to helping individuals find a path toward a more enduring well. Coaches can not only identify and work to help remove barriers for participants, but they can provide education and accountability, ultimately improving adherence to activities that support better health such as preventative care and regular cholesterol, cancer, and diabetes screenings.
The results
The table below illustrates how LAZ Parking’s commitment to employee wellbeing is positively impacting employee behavior. The data compares the difference in adherence to preventive care recommendations between employees who engaged in coaching and those who did not. The results show an average 35% better preventive care adherence for participants engaged with a WellSpark coach.
The barriers that prevent people from making lifestyle changes are as unique as the individual experiencing them.
One-on-one coaching is an effective approach to helping people find a path toward a more enduring well (and stay on it) because it caters to and supports each person‘s individualized, customized, and culturally relevant experience.
Preventive care is an important part of overall wellbeing and the data shows that the coaching resources LAZ Parking is providing to their employees is improving participants’ adherence to preventive care. If the employees at LAZ are similar to the national average with 60% having at least one chronic condition, and driving even a small percentage of people to preventive care catches chronic conditions earlier, the potential savings are significant.
Helping employees find a path to wellbeing is good business. Learn more about how LAZ Parking’s whole person approach to health benefits is changing lives.
Sources:
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) Access to Health Care. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://archive.cdc.gov/#/details?q=cdc.gov/vitalsigns/healthcareaccess/&start=0&rows=10&url=https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/healthcareaccess/index.html
[2] CDC Foundation. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://www.cdcfoundation.org/safeguarding-americans-health
[3] National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (2022). Commentary on Chronic Disease Prevention in 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://chronicdisease.org/commentary-chronic-disease-prevention-2022-david-hoffman/
Disclaimer: Any testimony or examples are not intended to guarantee that an organization or individual will achieve the same or similar results. Each organization’s or individual’s success depends on many factors.