Mercer Offers Wellness Program for Multinational Employers

Mercer’s GH Accelerator is aimed at helping multinational employers improve the health and productivity of employees, over time, by creating a uniform culture of health throughout the organization, according to a news release. With the tools included in GH Accelerator, employers can expedite the development of strategies to: control health care cost increases in individual countries; control chronic disease (such as diabetes); ensure there is leadership understanding about the causes of death and disability; and manage risk related to employee lifestyles (such as smoking and obesity).   

GH Accelerator helps companies prepare themselves for full global health management programs by: 

• Learning about health issues and opportunities around the world, 
• Prioritizing countries for health management interventions, 
• Aggregating and assessing basic health data, and 
• Developing a global health strategy. 

Despite the fact that health care costs are rising in almost every economy, employers cite a number of reasons for investing in their employees’ health. The news release noted that top drivers cited by multinationals taking part in Mercer’s 2009 Employee Choice Survey, across Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, were providing benefits as part of a competitive total rewards package and employee retention.   

Other key reasons: 

• Poor health can damage the business (from safety, reputation, business continuity and financial perspectives); 
• Ill health affects productivity; 
• Health management programs can help differentiate companies as “employers of choice,” which increases brand equity and preference among customers; and 
• Employee health programs can show a positive return on investment.