3 ingredients for a successful employee weight loss program
Originally posted April 10, 2014 by Kelly Carpenter, PhD on www.ebn.benefitnews.com
Everyone who has pursued a traditional employee weight loss program knows that results can be unpredictable. Usually, enough employees succeed in losing weight to give the program value. The problem is they often gain it back. While programs are going in the right direction, clearly there is room for improvement.
Today’s advanced weight-loss programs deliver that improvement, providing more uniform and sustained results by leveraging behavioral change science. The most successful of these programs include the following three key behavior-change ingredients as a foundation for maximum weight-loss impact.
#1: Focus on long-term motivators rather than short-term
The near-term events that often spur people to think about losing weight – a wedding, a cruise, a high school reunion or a financial incentive – all quickly come and go. As the event passes, so does the motivation, and a return of old behaviors almost always means a return to previous weight.
In contrast, long-term motivators endure, enabling the individual to sustain weight loss without needing an incentive, because they discover the personal value a healthier lifestyle brings to life. For instance, when an employee is motivated to lose weight to enjoy a more active life with a spouse, children or grandchildren, that employee is on a more sustainable path to successful weight loss.
#2: Address underlying cognitive, emotional and biological barriers to sustained weight loss
The underlying reasons why some employees just can’t seem to lose weight vary from individual to individual. One employee may have a habit of sneaking a donut in the break room and then thinking “I’ve blown it for today and may as well have one more.” Another employee may have periods of work-related stress that trigger the urge for comfort food. There are dozens of additional behavioral patterns as well as personal weight loss history and biological factors that make losing weight extremely difficult, if not impossible, if not addressed.
Programs that include individualized coaching can provide the specific interventions needed to support behavior change. Health coaches can help an employee overcome the discouragement involved in sneaking a donut by guiding the employee to take a positive action, such as reducing the corresponding calories from the rest of the day’s consumption. Or they can encourage the stressed employee to counter anxiety with a healthy response, such as taking a walk or calling a friend. So it goes for additional behaviors that run counter to weight loss. The key is personalized assistance to help every individual succeed.
#3: Position a more intensive weight loss program as an option within a larger wellness program
Wellness programs − though important to guide employees to better lifestyle habits and establish healthy workplace cultures − do not address the complexities of obesity. That’s why it is important for wellness programs to include an evidence-based weight loss program as an option for people with serious weight issues. Once employees do lose weight, the wellness program can equip them to sustain weight loss by focusing on overall wellbeing as an alternative to a lifetime of on-and-off dieting. Giving employees the best practices and skills needed to achieve and maintain lifelong health can work wonders toward helping formerly obese employees become more fit for life.
As the U.S. obesity epidemic has grown, studies have consistently documented the positive financial outcomes realized when employers respond with solid weight loss programs. By reducing the risks of both diabetes and heart disease, obesity reduction delivers health care savings that contribute significantly to the bottom line. Add employee health and well-being benefits that promote sustained weight loss, and it’s a win-win for everyone involved. That’s why it is imperative to offer a weight loss program, and to make sure it includes the three key ingredients that can optimize the results.
Top 10 healthiest states
Originally posted December 26, 2013 by Kathryn Mayer on https://www.benefitspro.com
Americans are making “considerable progress” in their overall health, according to United Health Foundation’s 2013 America’s Health Rankings.
Overall, the annual ranking of America’s states found that smoking is down nationwide, as is physical inactivity.
Some states, of course, are faring better than others. Here are the top 10 healthiest places in America.
10. New Jersey
It helps that New Jersey’s residents are among the wealthiest in the nation, as the report finds the healthiest states are often among the nation’s most financially well-off. Additionally, the Garden State has among the most dentists and primary care physicians in the country.
9. North Dakota
North Dakota is one of the healthiest states, despite the fact that it has a high prevalence of obesity. Other factors, including few poor mental and physical health days per year and a low rate of drug deaths, help make this state amongst the healthiest in the nation.
8. Colorado
Colorado has the lowest obesity rate of any other state. A little more than 20 percent of Colorado residents are considered obese. The considerably small obesity rate also helps other factors: In 2011 and 2012, for example, state residents were among the least vulnerable to heart attack and stroke.
A high prevalence of binge drinking and drug deaths still remain big challenges for the state.
7. Connecticut
Connecticut has one of the lowest smoking rates in the nation, and its obesity rate is also relatively low comparatively speaking, at 25.6 percent. Over the past two years, the uninsured population fell from 11.1 percent to 8.3 percent, according to the report. That is also helped by the fact that Connecticut has a high rate of medical professional availability for residents.
6. Utah
There are a lot of factors contributing to Utah’s good health standing: The Beehive State has the lowest smoking rate in the nation at 10.6 percent of the adult population, has low rates of binge drinking, preventable hospitalizations, diabetes, physical inactivity and obesity. But dragging the state down is a low availability of physicians.
5. New Hampshire
The state has one of the highest rates of healthy eating habits and visits to the dentist. Overall, the state is helped by its extremely low poverty rates, which enables residents to better afford treatment and increases the likelihood that they are informed on good health behaviors.
4. Massachusetts
The state is in a health care state all its own because of reforms that went into effect back in 2006. Virtually all of its residents — 96 percent — are insured, and they all seem to use their coverage. More than in any other state, residents went to the doctor to get their cholesterol checked and visited the dentist. The state’s healthy status is also helped by the availability of physicians. In 2011, there were nearly 200 physicians per 100,000 residents.
3. Minnesota
The Gopher State has low rates of physical inactivity, diabetes and premature and cardiovascular deaths. However, it also has a high prevalence of binge drinking and low per capita public health funding.
2. Vermont
Vermont, last year’s reported No. 1 state, is ranked second this year and has ranked among the top five for the last decade.
Vermont has a low uninsured rate. In the past year, the percentage of uninsured population dropped from 9 percent to 7.8 percent of the population.
1. Hawaii
Top-seated Hawaii scored well along most measures particularly for having low rates of uninsured individuals, high rates of childhood immunization, and low rates of obesity, smoking and preventable hospitalizations. But like all states, Hawaii also has areas where it can improve: It has higher-than-average rates of binge drinking and occupational fatalities, and lower-than-average rates of high school graduation.
Join the January 13 Event
Originally posted on https://www.rwjf.org
Building on its original work from 2009—which helped advance a national movement to address non-medical factors that affect our health—the RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America will release new recommendations on Monday, January 13, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. ET, during a live online event.
Watch the YouTube video on Creating a Culture of Health: https://youtu.be/XeIfRaKqDnw
During the event featuring Commission Co-Chairs Mark McClellan and Alice Rivlin, Commissioners will offer recommendations covering three key areas:
- Prioritizing investments in America’s youngest children
- Encouraging leaders in different sectors to work together to create communities where healthy decisions are possible
- Challenging health professionals and health care institutions to expand their focus from treating illness to helping people live healthy lives
Can Happiness Heal? How a positive attitude might save your life
Originally posted by Julia Perla Huisman on https://www.nwitimes.com
Health and happiness. Are the two linked? We can assume that those with good health are generally happy to be well. But what about the other way around? If someone is sick, can happiness make them feel better physically?
The answer is a resounding yes, according to recent research. Multiple studies have shown that a positive outlook on life reaps many tangible benefits: “‘Happy’ people cope better with stress and trauma, are more resilient, have stronger immune systems, and live longer,” says Barbara Santay, therapist for Franciscan Alliance’s Employee Assistance Program.
The statistics are staggering: according to Santay, two-thirds of female breast cancer survivors who attend support groups report that their lives were altered for the better after developing the disease. Women who have strong social connections live an average of 18 months longer than those who have little to no connections. Bereavement has been associated with stress hormones, and friendly social contact has been proven to decrease those hormones.
“One of the big ways we see [the correlation] clinically is with chronic pain,” says Michael Mirochna, M.D., a family medicine physician with Lake Porter Primary Care and Porter Physician Group of Porter Regional Hospital. “When a patient’s mood is good, they’ll be in less pain. If they start to feel worse and you dig into their psychosocial history, you find that something happened (their dog died, relationship problems, etc.). There’s a close correlation with mood and pain in that regard.”
It’s clear to see that happiness fosters good—or at least improved—physical health. But what, exactly, is happiness?
“I think we need to differentiate between happiness and joy,” says Tanaz Bamboat, certified laughter yoga instructor from Munster. “Happiness depends on things. Joy is unconditional.”
Santay adds, “People think they would be happy if only they were to get married, have a baby, get plastic surgery, win the lottery… These things do provide a temporary boost in happiness but after a certain time has passed, people return to their happiness set point.”
Experts agree that what leads to a continual state of happiness has nothing to do with circumstances or material possessions, which can be fleeting. Rather, it comes from one’s outlook on life.
Fortunately, such an outlook can be cultivated and exercised, so that even the biggest curmudgeon on the block can take control of his or her mental and emotional—and therefore physical—health.
We’ve outlined five ways to develop a positive perspective:
Be physically active. There is bountiful research backing the premise that exercise improves mood. “We strongly encourage physical activity with our patients diagnosed with depression,” says Mirochna. “If their depression is so bad that they don’t feel like doing anything at all, we encourage them to at least do some physical activity, and it immediately makes them feel better.” In fact, according to Santay, aerobic exercise is shown to be just as effective as depression medications.
Dawn Wood, certified therapeutic recreation specialist and instructor of the Benefits of Exercise class at Methodist Hospitals, says, “One of the emotional benefits of exercise is that you are doing good for your body and yourself. When you feel good about yourself, it gives you confidence to meet daily challenges, meet goals, and communicate with others.”
Meditate/Focus. Santay lists meditation, avoiding overthinking, and increasing “flow experiences” (activities that engage you, cause you to lose track of time) as ways to get the mind right. She also encourages two minutes of writing every day. “The immune system works better when we write,” she says. According to a study by the University of Missouri and Columbia, the psychological and physical benefits of two minutes of journaling are greater than those that come from writing in longer time segments.
Wood suggests “true relaxation… allow yourself to take a mental and physical break from your responsibilities from time to time, so when you return, you have a better frame of mind.”
Laugh. The phrase “laughter is the best medicine” isn’t just a euphemism. Laughter is proven to prevent heart disease, lower stress hormones, strengthen the immune system, and reduce food cravings. It also has anti-aging benefits.
While a comedy show or YouTube video provides a temporary laugh, the greater health benefit comes from intentional, continuous laughter that can be learned in a class like laughter yoga. In this practice, participants are taught to laugh from the belly, and for no reason, so they learn to laugh despite their circumstances. They’re also instructed to breathe properly, which improves blood flow.
Bamboat, who teaches laughter yoga classes throughout Northwest Indiana, works often with cancer patients. “Laughter brings movement up into the lymph nodes,” which play a big role in cancer care.
“Laughter brings you back to a childlike state,” Bamboat says. “We were born with a spirit of laughter but have forgotten it because of stress. If you condition your body to laugh unconditionally, you will relieve your social, medical and physical stress.”
Be social. When we’re not feeling well, we tend to isolate ourselves. In reality, that’s the worse thing we can do. Having social connections and a strong support system can greatly improve one’s health.
“We tell our patients it’s important to have a sense of community,” says Mirochna. “What kind of social support structure do they have in place? If they are elderly, we ask if they have kids or a family.” Mirochna points out that Porter Hospital has a group for senior citizens in which they can participate in lectures and trips and develop friendships with other people in their stage of life.
Santay also urges her clients to nurture social relationships, learn to forgive, and practice acts of random kindness. Wood adds that helping others has been “the biggest factor I have noticed with patients’ happiness. It helps them feel worthwhile, capable.”
Be spiritual. Getting in touch with your spiritual side can do wonders to your physical health. Those active in religion live longer, use drugs less often, have longer marriages, and are healthier in general, according to Santay.
Father Tony Janik of Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point explains spirituality’s medicinal qualities: “Those with a spiritual outlook can face the difficult parts of life by having a greater sense of value. They have a source of perspective and hope… They find strength in that hope and have better coping mechanisms.”
This is especially valuable for those going through the end of life. “Not everyone gets cured, but they can be healed, from a spiritual perspective,” Janik adds. “We believe that everyone is made in the image of God and that they can have a life beyond here. That gives our patients hope.”
Pedal Power - Wellness Infographic
Originally posted on https://onlinemastersinpublichealth.com/pedal-power/
No big surprise: Riding a bike provides more exercise than driving a car. But with cities embracing cycling by building bike trails and lanes and setting up bike-sharing stations, the general health effects of biking can now be studied en masse.
64%
Percentage increase in bike commuters from 1990 to 2009
54%
Percentage of all bike trips purely for transportation
47%
Percentage of Americans who want more bike facilities in their communities
Riding Healthy
The benefits to regular exercise are myriad and that includes cycling, which can have lifelong advantages.
Women who bike for 30 minutes a day have lower chances of developing breast cancer.
Adolescents who bike regularly are 48% less likely to become overweight as adults.
82%
Percentage of bike commuters who believe their health has improved since they began bicycle commuting
30-60 minutes per day
Length of time cycling takes to improve hypertension rates
We Need the Exercise
Why? Because …
- More than 1/3 of U.S. adults are considered obese.
- 18% of children ages 6-11 are obese.
- Less than 1/3 of Americans are getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, the CDC’s recommended minimum.
- For each hour per day someone spends driving, there is a 6% increase in the chance of obesity.
- Excess body weight is possibly responsible for more than 100,000 new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. each year.
- Exercising regularly helps stave off depression and raises self-esteem.
It’s Cost-Effective, Too.
Biking instead of driving is healthy for your wallet, but it may be even better for the health of cities and towns.
$11.80
Benefits for every dollar invested in bicycling and walking
$115 million
Annual healthcare costs saved in Portland, Oregon thanks to a regional biking trail network
Seeing Results
Let’s take a look at some cities where bike share stations and paths have been implemented and successful.
Midtown Greenway, Minneapolis, MN
Benefits: Home value increase, higher employment rate, number of cyclists increased to 3,500 per day
Jobs created: 700
Wonders Way Path/Ravenel Bridge, Charleston, SC
Benefits: 2/3 of path users get more exercise, connects East coast as part of 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway
Jobs created: 525+
Valencia Street Redesign, San Francisco, CA
Benefits: Bike traffic increased 144%, improved business in city, traffic collisions declined by 20%, motor vehicle traffic declined 10%
Jobs created: 218
Schuylkill River Trail/Wissahickon Park, Philadelphia, PA
Benefits: 58% of population uses the trail for exercise, cycling has prevented 47,450 tons of CO2 emissions each year, invasive plant removal due to trail construction
Jobs created: 745 volunteer jobs
Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade, Portland, OR
Benefits: 220% increase in biking, bioengineered riverbanks reduce pollution
Jobs created: 1,050
10 Tips to healthy eating and physical activity for you
Source: https://www.fitness.gov/10tips.htm
- Start your day with breakfast.Breakfast fills your "empty tank" to get you going after a long night without food. And it can help you do better in school. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last night's pizza!
- Get Moving!It's easy to fit physical activities into your daily routine. Walk, bike or jog to see friends. Take a 10-minute activity break every hour while you read, do homework or watch TV. Climb stairs instead of taking an escalator or elevator. Try to do these things for a total of 30 minutes every day.
- Snack smart.Snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from different food groups - a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies, chips and candy are OK for occasional snacking.
- Work up a sweat.Vigorous work-outs - when you're breathing hard and sweating - help your heart pump better, give you more energy and help you look and feel best. Start with a warm-up that stretches your muscles. Include 20 minutes of aerobic activity, such as running, jogging, or dancing. Follow-up with activities that help make you stronger such as push-ups or lifting weights. Then cool-down with more stretching and deep breathing.
- Balance your food choices - don't eat too much of any one thing.You don't have to give up foods like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream to eat healthy. You just have to be smart about how often and how much of them you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and A, iron and calcium from a variety of foods. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels will help you get all these nutrients.
- Get fit with friends or family.Being active is much more fun with friends or family. Encourage others to join you and plan one special physical activity event, like a bike ride or hiking, with a group each week.
- Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables.These foods give you carbohydrates for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, they taste good! Try breads such as whole-wheat, bagels and pita. Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.Bananas, strawberries and melons are some great tasting fruits. Try vegetables raw, on a sandwich or salad.
- Join in physical activities at school.Whether you take a physical education class or do other physical activities at school, such as intramural sports, structures activities are a sure way to feel good, look good and stay physically fit.
- Foods aren't good or bad.A healthy eating style is like a puzzle with many parts. Each part -- or food -- is different. Some foods may have more fat, sugar or salt while others may have more vitamins or fiber. There is a place for all these foods. What makes a diet good or bad is how foods fit together. Balancing your choices is important. Fit in a higher-fat food, like pepperoni pizza, at dinner by choosing lower-fat foods at other meals. And don't forget about moderation. If two pieces of pizza fill you up, you don't need a third.
- Make healthy eating and physical activities fun!Take advantage of physical activities you and your friends enjoy doing together and eat the foods you like. Be adventurous - try new sports, games and other activities as well as new foods. You'll grow stronger, play longer, and look and feel better! Set realistic goals - don't try changing too much at once.
Workforce Obesity: What Can You Do?
| Source: https://safetydailyadvisor.blr.com
What can you do to help workers maintain a healthy weight and keep your bottom line healthy at the same time? Read about a company that's helping its workers lose tons of weight. |
| Employees of Health Care Services Corporation (HCSC) lost more than 53,000 pounds last year. HCSC is the owner and operator of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
According to Senior Vice President Dr. Paul Handel, that amount tops the company’s 20-ton weight-loss goal. A robust wellness program including fitness centers, classes, and healthy cafeteria food are part of the solution. "Many employers have viewed wellness programs as a nice extra when times are flush," says Handel. "We believe that the obesity epidemic and the rising toll of diabetes now make them a strategic imperative." Financial incentives are an important part of the HCSC strategy. In addition to tying wellness to annual bonuses, the company offers employees additional incentives of up to $200 a year for taking an annual wellness exam and logging their physical activity. Great news! BLR's renowned Safety.BLR.com® website now has even more timesaving features.
Other StrategiesThe key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), isn't about short-term dietary changes. It's about a lifestyle that includes: · Healthy eating; · Regular physical activity; and · Balancing the number of calories consumed with the number of calories the body uses. According to CDC the first step in maintaining a healthy weight is to look at the current situation. Body Mass Index (BMI) is one way to measure weight. BMI calculations are based on height and weight: · A BMI of 18.5 signifies being underweight. · The range between 18.5 and 24.4 is considered to be a normal weight. · The range between 24.5 and 29.9 is considered to be overweight. · A BMI between 30 and 40 is considered to be obese. · BMI of 40 and greater is considered to be morbid or extreme obesity. Your employees can calculate their BMI by going to |
Want to Win the Wellness Game? Start with Good Communications and Fun
For many employers, wellness has become a no-brainer. The challenge, many employers discover, is getting employees on board and keeping them on the right track.
The solution, experts say, is to keep employees informed and keep it fun.
"The goal of wellness workplace programs is to improve health and slow health care costs," said Amy Gallagher, wellness expert with Cornerstone Group in Warwick, R.I. "And to get there, a clear communication strategy is a must."
Gallagher noted in a recent blog post on GoLocalProv that employers need to be aggressive and proactive when promoting their programs.
"Don't be shy when rolling out a wellness program; make it an event," Gallagher wrote. "In a kick-off meeting, position the program as an employee benefit the employer fully supports and be sure to involve leadership."
Gallagher also suggested discussing the importance of wellness with employees and clearly defining the activities and expectations.
Once the program is rolling, employers should consistently remind employees of the initiative and provide online portals and tools to boost participation.
Like any activity, it's more fun when it's a game. And wellness is no exception, according Limeade Inc.'s Henry Albrect in a recent Society for Human Resource Management report.
In the article, Albrect noted that while employers may want to be aggressive with their programs, securing buy-in from employees and making participation voluntary will generate better results.
"Traditional wellness programs often fail to achieve lasting change using a heavy-handed reliance on high incentives to drive goals passed down by the company," Albrect wrote. Programs that rely on games that appear to serve the participants' interests -- not the company's -- tend to fare better, he noted. Also, social games -- contests that involve people with whom workers already interact and know -- can be particularly effective, he said.
Like any game, the players -- not just the employer -- will want to know the score, wrote Gallagher of Cornerstone, a Member Firm of United Benefit Advisors.
"After a cycle of activities is completed, be sure to report back to employees on progress and results. Share where the population health risks are, how future activities and participation will help reduce them and any new program goals or offerings. Don't forget to survey employees to gauge their satisfaction with the program -- perhaps the most important result of all."
Time for employers to get proactive on workplace wellbeing
Oliver Gray, 22 May 2012
Source: HRmagazine.co.uk
Employee wellbeing might be firmly on the agenda for some organizations but are employers any nearer to really reaping all of the benefits associated with it?
Too many organizations take a reactive approach to wellbeing which leaves them missing out.
Too often organizations take a reactive approach to employee well-being. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean employers have failed to think about well-being or aren't putting solutions in place, because many are. In fact, many medium to large organizations invest thousands of pounds every month paying for private medical insurance and annual health checks. But this is all reactive.
Private medical insurance can add huge value to businesses and individuals in terms of speeding up rehabilitation and getting employees back to work quickly. But it does not really help employees who are not sick or injured. Successful organizations know that there are huge benefits to be had from combining reactive health interventions, like private medical insurance, with proactive sessions to help employees really understand what simple changes they need to make to improve their health.
The forward thinking companies know that by taking a more proactive approach, focusing on both physical and mental well-being, and promoting healthy ways of living they have a real opportunity to make a positive change to the health, energy and performance of their staff. It is this that will reduce the cost of reactive health interventions, increase positivity throughout the organization and have a positive impact on the financial health of the organization.
In order to deliver real change we need to move away from thinking about well-being as a standalone activity, it is something that needs to be threaded through all talent management activities and that really becomes part of the culture. It is not enough to simply hold one event or workshop just to tick a box - putting in place healthy habits take time and therefore well-being activities need to be delivered regularly.
Only by helping employees understand what simple changes they need to make to change their habits will organizations reap all of the benefits of healthy, energized, high performing staff. By organizing health and wellbeing sessions that are relevant, dynamic, engaging and informative employees will be motivated to take action and it is this that will enable them to perform at their best.
Take stress as an example. Rather than focusing on stress, which is a word that creates so much negativity, instead organizations need to invest time coaching staff so that they become more resilient and are able to handle pressure. By training employees to be more resilient, giving them the tools to manage pressure effectively, employees are more likely to be able to handle the challenges that come their way. This means they are less likely to go off sick due to stress and are able to get on with their day job.
Organizations that are taking a proactive approach and making employee well-being part of their culture with directors, managers and employees buying into the concept are reaping the benefits. They are not only seeing a reduction in sickness absence and staff turnover but also an increase in performance, higher staff engagement and reduced healthcare costs.
Are rules and regulations around alcohol going to make a difference?
By Penny Ferguson
As an HR director or business leader, are you drawing any parallels between the Government’s approach to dealing with the problems of binge drinking and the way our organizations attempt to create behavioral change?
This may sound like a strange question, but for me there are so many things that resonate, and my question is this: are rules and regulations the most effective way to change the way people behave?
The Government obviously believes so. Binge drinking is, without question, a serious and growing problem, but Government is only dealing with the symptoms, not the cause. Why do individuals feel the need to go out and binge drink?
Probably because they think it's fun. How sad that we have become a nation where many people find fun in a bottle rather than more healthy pastimes. Those who passionately pursue activities and hobbies are much less likely to be among this number, perhaps because they're focused on a sense of purpose and belonging.
Just putting in numerous rules to remove from someone something they want, without their having something worthwhile to replace it with, I have never known to have any significant impact on behaviors. Usually, it just makes them devious, trying to find ways round it. You could therefore argue that you may be creating even more problems for the broader community.
Where will they get the booze from if they don't have the money to get it? If it's 'the only way to have fun', they'll surely find a way – steal either the drink or the money to buy it, maybe?
The same thing is true in our businesses. When we continually create rules and structures to stop people doing certain things or behaving in certain ways, they often invest huge amounts of time in finding ways to get around them.
However, if we focus more on helping people to see how they can really contribute and how they uniquely make a difference to their team and the organization, we may create sustainable change. We may begin to inspire people to embrace their role so they get much more from every working day, which in turn may positively impact on their performance.
Let me put this into a context. How many companies have you worked at where a communication problem was dealt with by appointing consultants? How much real change resulted? Most of the time, when people are asked that question, they respond, 'not a lot' or 'nothing at all'.
So, your problem is that individuals are not communicating and you put in a system to sort it? That won't work. If each and every individual took 100% responsibility for communicating, you wouldn't need a new system anyway.
At home, and I will admit sadly to this being very true of me for many years, you love your children very much so you keep telling them 'what to do' and what 'not to do'. Effectively, you are educating them into not thinking for themselves. You are actually teaching individuals how not to be responsible.
To change the culture of drinking, or to change any culture for that matter, necessitates something very different from putting in new systems. I believe if this is the route the Government goes, then the impact will be negligible and, within a couple of years, they'll be looking to 'upgrade' or put in a new system and the problem will have escalated.
How often have you seen systems merely create a 'fix' rather than bring about lasting change within your organization?
David Cameron talks about responsibility but, if he just keeps putting in systems to tell people how to behave differently, then to my mind he clearly doesn't understand the true meaning.
I wish, for once, the powers that be would start addressing the cause rather than the symptom. Then, and only then, will we begin to address so many of our challenges.
How are you applying this principle in your organizations?