Keeping Employees Healthy and Engaged
Judy Herlich tried many diets over the years but the weight always crept back on. Then in 2005, Herlich received an e-mail from Johnson & Johnson inviting employees to try HealthMedia® a web-based program that helps people improve their behaviors in areas such as weight and stress management, sleep quality, smoking cessation and medication adherence. Herlich lost the 36 pounds HealthMedia® recommended through its online plan tailored just for her. Four years later, she has kept off the weight.
“I definitely have more energy and I rarely call in sick,” says Herlich, Associate Scientist, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C., (J&JPRD), Raritan, New Jersey.
In 2008 Johnson & Johnson established a Wellness & Prevention business platform to deliver new growth for the Company through a portfolio of products and services focused on preventing chronic disease, keeping people well and restoring faculties lost to aging. Global health care systems, including governments, employers and individuals, are seeking new solutions to spiraling health care costs. The Wellness & Prevention platform recognizes that a comprehensive solution must begin long before the onset of illness and that investing in wellness and prevention now can avoid more costly health care expenses later.
In 2008, Johnson & Johnson concluded two strategic acquisitions as initial steps in building the Wellness & Prevention business. In October, we acquired HealthMedia, Inc., which offers online health coaching for users like Herlich and has proven outcomes in increased productivity and decreased medical usage. In December, we acquired LGE Performance Systems, Inc., known as Human Performance Institute™, which develops science-based training programs to improve employee engagement and productivity. Grounded in the sciences of performance psychology, exercise physiology and nutrition, it teaches employees to manage and maximize their energy so they can perform their best. Human Performance Institute™ was founded in 1991 by best-selling author Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Jack Groppel. Their work over the past 30 years has helped athletes, military elite and corporations optimize performance.
Initially, the Johnson & Johnson Wellness and Prevention platform is focused on employers. Health care expenses are among the most rapidly growing costs for employers and efforts that keep employees well and engaged will save money and improve productivity.
Herlich says she feels more energetic since she began the HealthMedia® weight management program and started exercising daily at her company’s fitness center. She likes moderate exercise and eating plans, which don’t eliminate food groups, and the “90/10 Rule,” which says as long as you stick to your plan 90 percent of the time, you’ll succeed. From time to time she updates her personalized plan.
While HealthMedia® programs are grounded in science, they are appealing to participants because they are personalized, easy to understand and they make sense. “It’s a real common-sense approach,” she says.
For more information:
HealthMedia®
Human Performance Institute™
Creating a Culture of Health
Protecting Our People
Promoting Good Health
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