When it comes to preventive care, men and women couldn’t be more different. Women are 100 percent likelier than men to have annual visits with their doctors and seek preventive health care. And a recent study reported that 16 percent of all men between the ages of 18 and 64 put off or postponed preventive services in the past year due to cost. But what men may not realize is that preventive services aren’t usually costly or time-consuming. What they are is a commitment to staying in the loop on your health so that you prevent larger problems down the road. Why should this matter to employers? If employees are taking care of their health through preventive care, they will be happier and more productive at their jobs. If you’re a manager with male employees, you can actually be hugely influential in getting them to take more charge over their preventive care. Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling in your office:
- Organize an outing to a screening event: Many events take place across Michigan that are geared towards men and preventive care. Compile a list of screening events near you and let employees know they can leave work to go to them. You can even set up a day where all employees go together.
- Offer life insurance: Taking steps to safeguard your health also means taking steps to protect ones you love. Offering employees life insurance (and ensuring they know about it) can make sure they are setting up their family in case something happens.
- Encourage annual checkups: Most men realize that seeing their primary care physician regularly should be a normal habit, but that doesn’t mean they do it. When it’s an employee’s birthday, remind them to set up their annual visit with their doctor.
- Educate about immunizations and vaccines: If male employees know more about the benefits of flu shots, pneumonia shots and other immunizations, they may be more inclined to receive their free flu shot or other special offerings set up through your company.
- Give the facts: The big picture is that if people take advantage of preventive services and behaviors, long-term healthcare costs would be lower for everyone. Having a frank discussion with staff about the healthcare options and costs available to them could help them see that they would be saving the company, other employees and themselves money.
Though it’s a lot of information to process, the bottom line is that preventive services can save both money and your health in the long run. Want to learn more about preventive care and what it’s all about? Check out these blogs from both this site as well as A Healthier Michigan:
- What You Need to Know About Preventive Services
- Set Your Health Goals Now: Your Preventive Medical Checklist
- Annual Checkups: Why They Are Vital for Everyone
Photo credit: Parker Knight
