Employers have jumped on the health and wellness wave, understanding that keeping their employees healthy helps their bottom-line. These days, it’s an oddity if an employer hasn’t encouraged participation in a wellness program, encouraged employees to eat less trans-fat, eat more whole foods, exercise thirty minutes a day, take time for relaxation, etc.

Yet with all of our efforts, it is often that we see the same health-conscious group participate, while the rest opt out. You see, ultimately, most adult Americans don’t get their 5 to 9 servings of fruits or veggies, or 30 minutes of daily exercise. So we watch as disinterested employees continue with unhealthy habits – our hands tied as not to be the “acting physician” and overstep our boundaries.

As Managers, Supervisors or HR professionals, confronting an employee with our opinions about their unhealthy habits is out-of-line. However, we may have an avenue to get them turned around if, and only if, those habits are impacting their work performance.

Often, Supervisors ask:

“I know I can make a referral for absenteeism or anger management, but what if one of my employees has high cholesterol or blood pressure and I want them to see the dietitian?”

Or,

“I have an employee whom I am concerned about. He’s rapidly dwindling away and I’m not sure what health issues he’s dealing with. Can I refer him?”

The short answer is that if there is nothing performance related and the employee appears to be just plain unhealthy, then the answer is “no,” a formal management referral would not be appropriate.

However, if the employee has been missing work, requiring “down time” on the job as a result of feeling fatigued, or you are noticing lack of attention to detail, less productivity or anything else performance related, we may suggest that you consult with our Clinical Manager.

Americans are experiencing self-induced disease and mortality at an all-too-early age, and this directly effects the workplace. We care for our employees and want them around as long as possible. With that, even if there is resistance, we encourage you to continue to put healthy practices and initiatives into place.

But, for those instances when performance suffers due to poor health, possibly then, it may be appropriate to move forward with a “healthy” referral. Ultimately, a referral to the EAP may give the employee the resources to get them back to health… and back to working productively.

Ease@Work employee assistance program services can help HR professionals and managers/supervisors decide if a management referral is appropriate. A dedicated account manager offers personal and highly qualified consultation for your most difficult, and sensitive, employee issues.