I have been coming to RIMS for over 20 years and it never grows old. I remain as excited this year as I did the first time I attended. Again I can say rapid changes are happening in our industry, especially in the area of technology. At Sedgwick, we also continue to gauge legislation change at the state level and actively keep an eye on what's happening at the federal level. This year you can count us in as part of something brand new that looks to explore these areas of change and more – the Wellness ZENter, that we are pleased to sponsor with RIMS.
During exclusive exhibit hours at the Wellness ZENter, leading experts will speak on topics related to health and productivity in the workplace. I am personally going to share why wellness and health for individuals and populations translates to wellness of a company and, in turn, adds up to higher business performance. Focusing on wellness and health creates a win-win situation for everyone; it is part of why we at Sedgwick believe that caring counts.℠ While these topics are still outside the norm for many companies and risk managers, I believe the time is now to begin integrating whole health into your vision for a healthy workforce.
Let me expand on what we mean by whole health. The three pillars of a consumer's health journey include physical, emotional and financial health. When any of these becomes out of balance, it can affect the whole person. Navigation of a person’s overall health is more complex than ever and, while it is easy to say there is "an app for that," the human element is still very important to whole health.
Another word you are going to hear a lot from us in the Wellness ZENter is resilience. The science of resilience is a powerful tool when considering workforce wellness. Companies are deploying resilience training across their organizations to improve employees’ ability to bounce back after a rough day, feedback or a challenging assignment. Resilience impacts recovery following an injury or illness. The more resilient an organization’s employees are, the healthier the company.
We were pleased to sponsor a very interesting study in the February issue of Health Affairs on the correlation between the work/health relationship; you will want to join in the discussion about this research and take it back to your organization.
There is so much more happening at the Wellness ZENter than what I have highlighted. Take time to view the full list of speakers and times listed here; I think you will agree there is value in attending as many of these exclusive sessions as time allows.
As always, I look forward to meeting and talking with you next week at RIMS. I encourage you to stop by Sedgwick's booth 2127 and Vericlaim's booth 2219 and talk to our expert team more in-depth about your specific needs.
Dave North, president and CEO, Sedgwick