Wow, authors Al Lewis and Vik Khana (of Surviving Workplace Wellness fame) pull no punches with regard to some recent program announcements and analyses in this field. You can read the whole story here, but the concluding paragraph--dripping with irony, sarcasm, and accusation--sums it up:
We are convinced that these obvious fallacies did not accidentally get overlooked. Indeed, we have previously coined the term ”the wellness ignorati” to describe industry defenders whose strategy is to deliberately ignore facts. This is not an accusation but rather a compliment. It is a brilliant strategy . . . based on the accurate assumption that most human resources executives aren’t trained to critically analyze biostatistics while most benefits consultants choose not to. Indeed, ignoring facts is the only strategy that can keep this industry alive, because . . . facts are the wellness industry’s worst nightmare.
We are convinced that these obvious fallacies did not accidentally get overlooked. Indeed, we have previously coined the term ”the wellness ignorati” to describe industry defenders whose strategy is to deliberately ignore facts. This is not an accusation but rather a compliment. It is a brilliant strategy . . . based on the accurate assumption that most human resources executives aren’t trained to critically analyze biostatistics while most benefits consultants choose not to. Indeed, ignoring facts is the only strategy that can keep this industry alive, because . . . facts are the wellness industry’s worst nightmare.
It doesn't take medical math for an HR person to see: more employees are sick than not sick.
ReplyDeleteAnd HR, like all employees, owe their jobs to someone who has an opinion on company health plans.