Category Archives: Employers

MSK and office ergonomics: Moving beyond the chair

Not long ago, the prevailing wisdom was to buy an ergonomic chair when an employee was missing work because of chronic back pain. Or, if an employee suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome, employers could purchase an ergonomic keyboard to ease the pain. Those are both worthy and beneficial options, of course. But musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions […]
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In a sea of apps, which is right for your employees’ health and well-being?

There’s an app for that! This is a familiar saying these days. Sometimes it truly does seem that there’s an app for just about everything. And when it comes to health, fitness and well-being, your employees are faced with a dizzying array of choices. There are more than 2.1 million apps in both the Apple […]
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On-site nutritionists serve up a healthy workplace culture (and now is a great time to start)

Ah, March. For college basketball fans, it’s a welcome time of madness. Those who enjoy all things green say “cheers” to St. Patrick’s Day. And when folks are ready to leave dreary winter behind, March signals the hope of spring. For RDNs (registered dietitian nutritionists) like me, there’s another reason March is a big deal. […]
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Five tips to help keep employees at the heart of your business

The heart is the symbol of Valentine’s Day. So it’s fitting that the American Heart Association deemed February American Heart Month. The focus of Valentine’s Day is the heart as a metaphor for romantic love. But we want to talk about the heart health of your employees’ real hearts. This amazing fist-sized powerhouse pumps blood […]
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3 ways Optum is working to end the opioid epidemic

Opioid medications can be an essential part of treatment for those with short-term medical conditions and serious chronic or long-term conditions. Yet opioids can come with a high risk of addiction, overdose and fatality. Every 13 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an opioid overdose.1 More than 68 percent of the 72,000 drug […]
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How the right HSA provider can support your employees’ health and security

Medical bills: trying to understand them may be nearly as painful as the injury or illness that generated them. This is an exaggeration, of course. But for many consumers, those bills can represent big problems, such as how to pay for their health care, how to plan for future care and how to achieve financial […]
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Next AI ‘wave’ will be a sea change for health care

The artificial intelligence (AI) journey from theory to mainstream has evolved in waves. While health care may see AI as an abstract concept, I believe that technology capabilities have already entered their second wave of evolution. The roots of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies go back to 1950, when Alan Turing suggested that machines could be […]
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Are your employees getting enough sleep?

The occasional night without sleep can leave anyone irritated and grouchy. But it might not cause much harm to long-term health and business productivity. Chronic poor sleep is defined as several consecutive nights of insufficient sleep. That may have mental health effects that can become much more serious, affecting concentration and decision-making. These issues can […]
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A SMART approach to your employees’ New Year’s resolutions — or any time

It’s that time of year again. With the holidays close by, it’s natural for your employees to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Keeping a promise to oneself is more easily said than done, though. Year after year, people enter January with ambitious goals: losing weight, exercising more, signing up for a race. Sound familiar? […]
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What can you achieve by improving the employee experience?

Savvy employers know that creating a great employee experience matters — and are constantly looking for ways to improve it. A new webinar from Optum showcases research that reveals a strong correlation — specifically between eNPS and the availability of well-being programs offered to employees, and high participation rates in those programs. Watch the webinar […]
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