Employer Healthcare Congress (3). Day two – some keynote notes

My apologies to regular readers and my new friends from the congress for the delay in this next thrilling instalment from Chicago.  I had some IT issues, resolved now I’m back in the UK so normal service is resumed.

There was a wide selection of sessions on the second day and I was drawn by three keynote presentations. I’ve never been sure of the meaning of ‘keynote  speaker’ and some quick research uncovered that the term originates from barber shop singers practicing a ‘key note’ before starting a performance. A good keynote singer sets the tone for the song as a professional speaker sets the tone for a conference session.

Another, and perhaps a little cynical, definition is that keynote speakers get paid..

Bill Rancic, Winner of the Apprentice. ‘Ability to achieve success in today’s healthcare and economic climate.’

I learnt a salutary lesson from the first keynote of the day. I have a pathological loathing for reality TV (Snob? Moi?) and found my brief viewings of the UK version of The Apprentice to be full of self-opinionated egotists. (Judgemental? Moi?). So I didn’t rush to attend Bill’s opening session of the day and missed the first half hour. Big mistake. I quickly discovered that Bill Rancic is a very cool guy. Softly spoken and yet successfully projects intelligence, charisma and humility.

Bill’s presentation was very well received and attendees afterwards told me of how he related the story of his first successful business launch – selling cigars online. His innovative, but simple sales techniques (‘stand out from the crowd’) and way he has seized opportunities throughout his life provided plenty of inspiration. He also had some interesting views on qualifications and felt that if you were already a proven ‘entrepreneur’ additional gongs such as an MBA were unnecessary but he did agree that good qualifications can provide ‘get you in but once you’re in it’s down to you’

A special mention is deserved for another entrepreneur, Liam Ryan from gethealth  (www.gethealth.ee)  who managed to find his way to the front of the queue for the microphone to pose questions to Bill. Liam demonstrated admirable ‘seize the opportunity’ and ‘stand out from the crowd’ skills, asking a question in his soft lilting Irish accent. What was his question? I’m not sure what he actually asked – but he did manage to mention that his company is launching an exciting interactive health proposition! It was the gentlest of business pitches to a large,  influential and benevolent audience. This young man and his business partner will go far methinks.

John Casey, Director of International benefits, Google. ‘Creating the healthiest employee in the world’.

John provided a fascinating insight into life within planet Google and the technology giant really does seem to provide an exceptional working environment. He was honest about the pressures of an ‘always on’ culture of a workforce with an average age of mid 30’s – employed by a company that receives 2 million (yes 2 million) job applications a year.

I was interested at the emphasis John placed on life stages within the Google population, recognising that many ‘Googlers’ (love it) are now entering a challenging phase in their lives – new marriages, commitment to long term relationships and young families, all happy events which can place pressures on a previously uninterrupted work focus. The organisation nurtures it’s ‘Nooglers’ (love that too) who join the organisation and a mouth watering suite of wellness options are available.

John admitted that a transparent culture and an obsession to listen can create its own problems in potentially delaying benefits decisions but these open channels also encourage creativity and innovation regarding all aspects of the business. He made a strong case for branding wellness initiatives with the Google choice of ‘Optimize your life’ providing a clear message of intent. The wellness programme adopts a global approach to health and wellbeing, covering the physical, emotional and financial health of employees. This may sound like Nirvana, but John also stressed that this frugal (his word) company questions every cent so each wellness initiative must provide a decent ROI.

The company is not afraid to experiment with new health initiatives and like so many speakers at this conference, John stressed the importance of robust benchmarking and regular monitoring of wellness programmes and health data.

I have no doubt that Google is well on its way to achieving its vision of ‘The healthiest employee on the planet’ - and good luck to them.

Mitch Joel, Author ‘How marketing connects in a connected world’

Key note speakers are like buses – you don’t see one for ages then three come along all at once!

There was something of the Halloween about this presentation – not intentionally I suspect. Dressed in black, Mitch also used monotone for many of his slides and even reduced Michelangelo’s beautifully coloured The Touch’ to stark black and white. A black background and white text in capitals used for much of the content came across as a bit aggressive which is a shame from an apparently charming man.

Mitch was keen to emphasise the speed with which our digital interactions are changing – and he succeeded. The tale of his 2 year old son trying to scan pages on the TV screen with his finger provided powerful imagery of the future. As Mitch said – keyboards will (not maybe – will -) become a thing of the past very, very soon.

Allowing customers to post comments, good or bad, on your company website is a compelling way to demonstrate transparency and YouTube was highly recommended as a dynamic interaction. I took on board Mitch’s advice that you should concentrate on liking your customers and not just focus on getting them to like you.

His summary of how to use digital marketing was, I think, excellent:

·         Accept it

·         Apply it with other marketing methods, not instead of

·         Be open and transparent with all your marketing transactions and communications

·         Your techniques must be shareable and findable

·         Treat written digital marketing as publishing – a blog is ‘published’

·         Let ‘why’ not ‘what’ define your tactics

Mitch also advised us to avoid ‘digital tumbleweed’ so for fear of my words being blown across an overcrowded digital landscape - I shall finish for now.

When medical research can be a waste of money

In my third year at University, I specialised in clinical pharmacology, an option heavily biased to research. It is a fascinating subject and I took part in several clinical trials designed to assess the efficacy and safety of beta blockers. I am therefore an advocate and close follower of medical research, but I am bemused at the nonsensical studies that are on the increase. The latest of these is the mind blowing discovery that marriage and/or divorce can cause an increase in women’s weight. This is the type of study that I now label as ‘duh’ research. (The urban dictionary defines ‘duh’ as ‘no sh*t Sherlock’ or ‘thank you Captain Obvious’ – love it)

The study, recently presented to the American Sociological Society followed over 10,000 people, measuring changes in marital status and Body Mass Index. Apparently newly married women are at greatest risk of health gains according to the authors from Ohio State University.

As a spokesperson from the British Nutrition Foundation said ‘these are significant changes in someone’s life. It can change their living situation and the types of food they eat’. Sorry – but that statement warrants a ‘duh’ too.

During my research days, I was taught that there are three fundamentals to a valid study:

1)     The objectives should be clearly stated

2)     The measurement methods must be robust and where possible, completely objective

3)     There must be a point to the research

Alas, in my opinion, this study fails on most counts. There are so many other variables not measured that the results are of little value. And what does the health sector intend to do with this information I wonder?

We are bombarded daily with new research, often with very little real value. Yes, mothers who over eat during pregnancy often end up with fat children. Not really rocket science. Yes, in many women (and men) emotional triggers play a key role in eating behaviours.

Much health research is life saving and life enhancing. Drug trials of course are a given, and retrospective studies such as links to baby sleeping position and cot death and the effects of smoking are dramatic examples of the vital work that researchers undertake.

I wish that researchers would stick to the basics, and academic and medical institutions closely assess the cost benefit ratio of each protocol before they proceed. These fluffy and inconsequential studies are affecting my emotional wellbeing….. now where’s that biscuit tin….?

Perhaps politicians should drink more tea!

As a big cricket fan, I found that yesterday’s events at the England/India test match provided a fascinating insight to human behaviour and the concept of ‘play nice’

Briefly – due to some confusion as to whether a ball had gone for four runs (i.e. hit the boundary ate the edge of the field), the England batsman Ian Bell was technically run out when an Indian fielder removed the stumps as the batsman was leaving the ground for the tea break at the end of the afternoon session. It was a simple misunderstanding – England thought the ball was out of play and India took advantage of the situation to claim a sneaky, but entirely legal wicket. The umpire confirmed the out decision which was within the rules, if not the spirit of the game.

‘Just not cricket’ a phrase used in the UK, and maybe overseas, describes ungentlemanly behaviour in any context and this incident was ‘just not cricket’. But in the true spirit of the game, after a cup of tea, India withdrew their appeal, Bell was reprieved, and resumed batting in the next session. The very sporting decision of the Indian team was praised universally and Phil Tufnell, a BBC commentator said ‘I think after a cup of tea the right decision was made’. Laugh out loud – what a wonderfully British comment!

But joking apart – maybe we shouldn’t underestimate the value of a cup of tea. I remember when my daughter was five years old there was a news item about the troubles in Northern Ireland and she asked me to explain why people were fighting. I did my best and then she said – ‘perhaps they should just have a nice cup of tea and sort it out’. If only. Bless.

With brinkmanship threatening the deal between the Democrats and Republicans to raise the US debt ceiling and the bickering amongst the UK coalition regarding NHS reforms, how good would it be if all these people just ‘played nice’?

How great if every time one politician slated another or one stakeholder belittled another – there was a shout of ‘hey that’s just not cricket’

And how wonderful if all these discordant groups really could just sit down and have a nice cup of tea and sort things out.

Apart from the ‘time out’ effect that having a cup of tea can have, the benefits of this age old beverage are manifold and well documented. The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that tea does not dehydrate but it actually rehydrates just as well as water and also protects against heart disease and cancers. The anti-oxidants have been shown to prevent cell damage, protect against tooth decay and strengthens bones.

Other suggested benefits are to boost immune system, increase alertness and lower stress hormone levels.

So there you have it. Sport so often reflects society in general and in the silly season for news I make a plea to all those involved in heated debate regarding health and finance especially – play nice and drink more tea!

Do bad manners constitute bullying?

There’s an amusing story circulating the UK this week about a woman who has written a scathing email to her stepson’s fiancé criticising the girl’s manners.

The irony which escapes the writer of the diatribe is that she has been guilty herself in displaying exceptionally bad manners with her cutting remarks about the girl’s breeding and upbringing. Had this criticism been verbal, it may have been passed off as a misunderstanding, but in hard print this insulting and rude email has gone viral, discussed on TV news and widely distributed on the web.

Apart from the obvious mother-in-law jokes that are circulating, (A policeman was asked what he would do if he had to arrest his mother-in-law – ‘call for back up’ was the reply) the word that is used in many of the headlines is ‘bully’.  I would love to add a few personal recollections about my own mother-in-law but my good manners and excellent breeding prevent me!

In the workplace, co-workers and bosses often pass off snide remarks and blunt put-downs as harmless banter or constructive criticism, but it often constitutes bullying.

A definition of bullying is ‘Bullying may be characterised as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.’ (ACAS)

Bad manners can be offensive, malicious and intimidating. A friend of mine  used to work with particularly unpleasant woman who, although they were both part of the senior management team, talked to my friend and her peers as though they were all something that had crawled out from under a stone. She was insulting and intimidating to her staff and wasted no time on the pleasantries and consideration that good manners demand. Her emails were all in bold capitals so it was like being shouted at. One of her staff received 33 such emails one Sunday night prior to the start of another tricky week. When challenged on this behaviour, the perpetrator insisted that she wasn’t bullying – it was just her way. She saw no reason to defend her behaviour stating that she wouldn’t waste time on niceties – and she ‘says it like it is’ and people should ‘stop being so sensitive.’

The organisation in question allowed this behaviour to continue, hiding behind a bullying policy that didn’t appear to allow for consistent bad manners. The net result was that in the space of six months, 15 of the 30 employees exposed to this assault voted with their feet and found jobs with competitors. Those were the good old days when you could say – ‘stuff this’ (or equivalent) and walk into another job.

With the current economic climate, it is less easy to avoid such bad manners. Presenteeism, staying at work when you are unwell or emotionally compromised, is more common as employees fear for their jobs. This has the effect of reduced productivity and a culture of fear growing in organisations that do not address these issues.

There is an old saying – ‘manners maketh man’ – I think the workplace version should be ‘good manners is good business’. A little courtesy and consideration goes a long way in cementing workplace relationships and creating a cordial working environment.

So as we chuckle at the public spectacle of a mother-in-law from hell trying to intimidate her future daughter-in-law, we should consider manners when implementing a workplace bullying policy or assessing a colleague’s behaviour.

And my favourite mother-in-law joke from the late great Les Dawson? ‘I took my mother in law to Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors the other day – the attendant said – keep her moving sir, we’re stocktaking…’

Corporate Hospitality should carry a health warning..

I have decided to give the NHS a rest for the next few days, it’s all too depressing, and decided to focus on corporate health. One look at a friend who came to visit yesterday and I looked no further for my subject. She was sporting a livid black eye and swollen face and was moving very gingerly, thanks, it transpired to two broken ribs.

‘White water rafting’ was the reply generated by my raised eyebrows. This forty something mother of two had been a guest of an insurance company on a corporate white water rafting day. The raft had capsized, it took her three attempts to get her head back up above water, which in itself must have been petrifying, and en route she received blows to the side and face possibly from a colleague’s foot, from the raft or from a rock. Ouch!

My protestations were met with – ‘yes but I signed a disclaimer’! That’s alright then, all bases covered. This could have been so much worse. My friend, didn’t want to seem too girlie in her male dominated environment, after a quick check from the water sports centre manager (who hopefully at the very least is a first aider) decided to go back into the raft for two more runs. Not because she wanted to, but because she didn’t want to appear weak. If the ribs had been broken, and one decided to ‘pop’ during the next two runs – who knows what could have happened.

Other injuries that I have either witnessed or heard of include;

Broken leg after a wine tasting evening (following a handstand executed in the wine bar – oops)

Frozen shoulder following a corporate archery event

Severe bruising following a ‘human football table’ game

Each of these incidents resulted in extended periods of time off work.

Another corporate favourite, paintballing, can cause serious eye injuries. A spokesman for the London Moorfields Eye Hospital recently stated that they were treating an increasing number of patients with severe paintballing-related eye damage.

The majority of adverse incidents usually involve too much alcohol. I remember that one of my previous employers ran a corporate event every quarter and we always had problems with two colleagues. One who got so absolutely paralytic every time that we had to allocate a minder to keep and eye on him as he had a habit of falling into roads or sleeping in hedgerows in frozen conditions. Funny the first time only. Another colleague was a delightful lady but a very nasty drunk so we had to keep our distance as she became more abusive and vitriolic. All quite amusing but not good in front of clients.

Throw into the mix the 2010 bribery act which defines bribery as ’financial or other advantage offered, promised or given by one person to another, where the intention is to induce or reward someone to perform improperly a relevant function or activity’. In other words, where a reward may influence a buying decision. Some corporate hospitality packages can be highly valuable and valued, such as a box at Royal Ascot or a trip to Paris for a rugby match and these could be perceived as a reward.

So you need to think carefully before you arrange, or accept an invitation, to a corporate hospitality event as it has the potential to become a veritable minefield. Hotbed of corruption, danger zone risking life and limb? Probably not. But all these things need to be considered. Corporate hospitality can still have a useful role to play in business, and often provides a good opportunity to get to know your clients and suppliers better, leading to mutraully advantageous, constructive working relatoinships.

In the meantime, just for the record, I am still a fan of corporate hospitality if it comes my way ….does anyone have any Wimbledon tickets?