CEO Roundtable to Focus on Employee Health

CEOs from some of the largest U.S. companies have formed American Heart Association (AHA) CEO Roundtable with the goal to create a workplace culture of health. Nancy Brown, AHA CEO, Henry Kravis, Co-CEO and Co-Chair of KKR & Co. LP, Terry Lundgren, Chair and CEO of Macy’s Inc., will co-chair the group.

According to AHA, the CEOs aim to improve health by supporting employees to make simple behavior changes that produce significant results. “Our employees are what make our company great, and their health is an important part of our success,” Lundgren explains. “In the U.S., at least 200,000 deaths from heart disease could be prevented each year through changes in health habits. We need to make it easier for our employees to make these changes—to make healthy choices and lead healthy lives. That means leading by example.”

In making the announcement, AHA also released results from a Nielsen online survey among 2,004 employees showing that Americans overestimate their health—putting them at greater risk for heart disease and other serious illness. According to the survey, many people believe they are in good health, even though they actually may not be. Three-quarters of employees (74%) report being in very good or good health, but 42% of these employees have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, including high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Other key findings:

• Employers can help when they lead by example to create a culture of health. Employees who are encouraged by senior management to participate in workplace health programs are nearly twice as likely to report improved health (61% vs. 34%), and significantly more likely to report healthy eating (60% vs. 33%), weight loss (41% vs. 27%), and reduced blood pressure (28% vs. 15%) and cholesterol (23% vs. 14%) as a result of program participation. 
• Workplace health programs are a win-win for employees and employers. Of employees who feel encouraged to participate in workplace health programs, 69% report that those programs have a strong impact on job satisfaction and 63% cite the availability of programs as important to staying with their current employer. Half of employees (49%) say that wellness programs make a company extremely or very attractive. 
• CEO leadership matters. More than half (55%) of survey respondents believe it’s extremely important, very important or important to see a CEO setting a good example in taking care of his/her own health. The entire organization has a role to play, but encouragement and modeling from senior management is especially important. 

The CEO Roundtable plans to focus on “Life’s Simple 7,” an evidence-based common standard for employee health programs based on the seven simple steps identified by AHA to significantly improve health. Research shows that people who meet the criteria for three to four of the measures, such as being more active and monitoring blood pressure, cut their risk of heart-related death by more than half.

Other members of the roundtable include:
Mitch Barns, Nielsen
Bruce Broussard, Humana Inc.
David Calhoun, Executive Chair, Nielsen
D. Scott Davis, United Parcel Service
Paul Diaz, Kindred Healthcare Inc.
Ken Frazier, Merck & Co. Inc.
Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson
Milton Johnson, HCA
John Lederer, US Foods Inc.
Andrew Liveris, The Dow Chemical Co.
Mike Mahoney, Boston Scientific Corp.
Larry Merlo, CVS Caremark Corp.
Denise Morrison, Campbell Soup Co.
George Paz, Express Scripts Inc.
Dr. Ralph Shrader, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Randall Stephenson, AT&T Inc.
Bernard J. Tyson, Kaiser Permanente
Gregory Wasson, Walgreen Co.
David West, Big Heart Pet Brands