For Company Wellness Programs, Experts Say Carrots Work Bett

STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we look at what some companies are doing to help their employees get healthy and stay healthy. We also talk to an employment lawyer about whether some corporate¹ wellness programs might go too far.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: Jim Hersey is a health policy researcher in Washington. Mr. Hersey is in his early sixties. A few years ago, he developed some pain in his shoulder. Typing on his computer at work seemed to make it worse.
JIM HERSEY: "So I went to my doctor. He gave me Motrin or some heavy-duty aspirin². I didn’t realize I was allergic³ to aspirin. So I ended up with internal bleeding, falling down on the street, going to the ER [emergency room], getting multiple units of blood."
Corporate wellness programs can include benefits like fruit, exercise classes or personal counseling
These days, through his employer, RTI International, Jim Hersey is trying a new approach to staying well.
CLASS: “Ommmmmm.”
STEVE EMBER: Yoga.
INSTRUCTOR⁴: "Find mountain pose, releasing the arms alongside your body."
BARBARA KLEIN: For one hour each Wednesday and Friday, Jim Hersey and nine of his fellow workers think about their breathing instead of their jobs. But they say the time they spend doing yoga is good for business.
JIM HERSEY: “I’m refreshed and more productive after class. My e-mails are less cranky.”
WOMAN: “It certainly helps us all become a bit more centered, a bit more focused, maybe a little bit less stressed in our rather tense work environment. I think a lot of companies are finally figuring out that preventative care in general is much less expensive in the long run.”
Each yoga class costs the company one hundred fifty dollars.
STEVE EMBER: Ann Mirabito is an assistant professor in the business school at Baylor University in Texas.
ANN MIRABITO:”I think that there’s been steady growth in workplace wellness programs over the past thirty years.”
In December she published a study about workplace wellness programs in the Harvard Business Review. She found that at least three-fourths of American companies with more than ten thousand employees have some kind of wellness program.
She found that some programs involved little more than leaving fruit on employees’ desks to encourage healthy eating. Other programs provide fitness centers or yoga classes. Still others offer personal counseling to help employees lose weight, exercise more and stop smoking.
These changes can reduce the risk of costly⁵, long-term conditions like heart disease and diabetes⁶. As a result, Professor Mirabito says effective wellness programs can make good business sense.
ANN MIRABITO: "There’s evidence that that return on investment is somewhere between three and six to one. So for every dollar that’s invested in a workplace wellness program, companies will benefit with three to six dollars in payback."
BARBARA KLEIN: Rising health costs and an aging workforce⁷ can eat away at a company's profits. But, of course, becoming healthy is not an overnight project. Big changes, like losing weight or stopping smoking, can take years. And if an employee changes jobs, the employer that offered the program may never benefit.
Sure enough, at the end of a recent yoga class, one of the employees, Rick, announced that he was leaving the company.
After three years of yoga classes, Rick was taking his professional skills -- and his downward-dog -- elsewhere.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: Rising costs for health care are not the only reason for more investment in workplace wellness. Business professor Ann Mirabito found two other reasons.
The first is women. Women are usually the health manager in the home. Now that so many women are working, she says, they are becoming the health managers in the office, too. They expect healthy places to work in, and they demand more balance between their lives at work and at home.
The other factor is the baby boom generation -- the millions of Americans who were born in the generation after World War Two.
ANN MIRABITO: "Baby boomers are seeing their parents living longer. And baby boomers are understanding how important it is to stay healthy throughout your life."
Baby boomers might be more likely to eat well or go to a yoga class. But what about workers who are not so willing to take good care of themselves?
BARBARA KLEIN: Brett Powell designs workplace wellness programs for companies. He says one of the biggest problems is to get employees to take part.
The most popular thing for companies to do is to offer financial incentives⁸. For example, workers might save money on their health insurance if they get health counseling or promise not to smoke.
Mr. Powell says financial incentives like these can get employees to do something once or twice. But he says they are not very effective at getting someone to make long-term changes in the way they live.
STEVE EMBER: Companies also have to be careful or they could get into trouble with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is a federal agency that enforces laws against discrimination.
Chris Kuczynski is a lawyer there. He says wellness programs must be voluntary. Employees must be able to choose whether to take part. And, even if they do take part, they must be able to choose whether to give private information about their health.
But Mr. Kuczynski says there is a question that his agency has not fully⁹ answered. At what point do employees start to feel like they are being forced to join a wellness program?
CHRIS KUCZYNSKI: "We have said, or the office I work for, the office of legal counsel, has said in some informal discussion letters, if you deny someone health insurance who doesn’t participate in a wellness program, that's going too far."
BARBARA KLEIN: Many companies try to create a culture of wellness. They try to make healthy living part of the job.
At RTI, where Jim Hersey works, yoga is just one part of the wellness program. The company also helps people who want to stop smoking. It offers to test employees for high cholesterol¹⁰ and high blood pressure. During influenza¹¹ season it offers flu vaccinations¹².
And every year there is a contest where employees compete to see who can walk the most. Susan Mitchell, an administrator¹³ who organizes the yoga classes, explains the contest.
SUSAN MITCHELL: “Our health and wellness committee provided us with pedometers and there was a contest to see how many people could log ten thousand or more steps each day over a certain period. There was a nice website where you could log in your progress. Some people were quite diligent¹⁴ about it. There were prizes. I can’t remember what they were, but many of us did walk around with pedometers for a period of a few weeks.”
REPORTER: “Did you win?”
SUSAN MITCHELL: “No. I didn’t. They don’t give credit for yoga.”
STEVE EMBER: Marci Alboher is an author who writes about workplace issues. She thinks it is mainly good news that employers are paying so much attention to their employees’ health. But she points out that a culture of wellness could leave some people out.
MARCI ALBOHER: “If we started seeing less fit employees or those with chronic¹⁵ illnesses or aging employees discriminated¹⁶ against in the workplace because they’re not thought of as as vigorous, that’s the potential danger I would say.”
BARBARA KLEIN: And what if an employee has had a genetic¹⁷ test showing a risk that the person might get sick in the future?
In two thousand eight Congress passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. This law bars employers from basing employment decisions on genetic information. It also bars insurance companies from using genetic information to deny coverage¹⁸ or charge high rates.
Another law, the Americans With Disabilities Act, prevents discrimination because of a disability -- including, in some cases, obesity¹⁹. But government lawyer Chris Kuczynski says no federal law bars discrimination based purely²⁰ on lifestyle decisions.
He says companies can legally hire or fire people based on things like how often they exercise or whether they smoke. Yet even if it is legal, business researcher Ann Mirabito says the threat of dismissal may not be very effective.
ANN MIRABITO: “We found that the most successful programs are offered from a spirit of generosity²¹ and respect for the dignity of employees. That participation²² is voluntary. Participation is encouraged with incentives, but those incentives are carrots rather than sticks.”
In other words, the programs reward employees rather than punish them.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: Melody Arbella teaches those yoga classes that Jim Hersey and some of his fellow workers take. Ms. Arbella started her yoga business several years ago. She mostly expected to teach people in their homes. During the recession, though, she found that fewer individuals could afford the classes. But more companies were interested in yoga classes for their employees.
MELODY ARBELLA: “I have seen, with the turn of the economy, when I first started my business, I really, it was like eighty percent private clients so I was going to people’s homes in the mornings, teaching yoga, and then I’d drive off and go to another client, teach yoga. And I had a few companies then. But then a couple years ago, with the turn, now my business is like eighty percent corporate, twenty percent in-home private. So it’s totally flip-flopped with the recession we had and just still the state of where we are.”
Workplace writer Marci Alboher has seen the same trend. She says health care is expected to be one of the most promising²³ areas of employment in the next few years. As part of that, company wellness programs could be a growth industry.
MARCI ALBOHER: “That’s an interesting new model for employment and an interesting new way that wellness is going to probably infiltrate²⁴ the work environment.”
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN: Our program was written by Kelly Nuxoll and produced by Brianna Blake. What do you think of employee wellness programs? Give us your comments, and read what other people are saying, at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook at VOA Learning English. I'm Barbara Klein.
STEVE EMBER: And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

3 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

4 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

8 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

11 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

12 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

14 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。

15 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

16 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

17 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

18 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

19 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

20 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

21 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

22 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

23 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

24 infiltrate   

vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润

参考例句：

• The teacher tried to infiltrate her ideas into the children's minds.老师设法把她的思想渗透到孩子们的心中。
• It can infiltrate as much as 100 kilometers into enemy territory at night.可以在夜间深入敌领土100千米。