News

6-4-11: Orlando, FL. Dr. Allen will lead a 90-minute workshop at the Association of Fmailly and Conciliation Courts' annual national conference entitled "Divorce, Poor Health & Lost Productivity in the Workplace: Opportunity for the AFCC Community?" This session will introduce principles of health and productivty measurement and management to establish a framework for documenting and reducing the burden of divorce that will gain employer attention.  Roles that practitioners, policymakers and researchers can play to support employers as they become more aware of these linkages and what can be done about them will be explored.

5-20-11: Orlando, FL.. Drs. Colombi and Allen will participate as presenters in the symposium, "Contributions of Socio Emotional Disorders and Perceived Stress towards Employee Productivity Across Economies", at the Work, Stress, and Health 2011 Conference hosted by the American Psychological Assocation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Their presentation, "Stress: A Pivotal Window into the Management of Workplace Depression", will focus on results from a recently published study on stress and its predictive relationship with workplace depression. Among the study's key findings: predisposition toward stress proved an especially potent predictor of mild depression, as did other factors that are subject to the influence of employer-sponsored health management programs. The importance of such programs for managing the burden of depression will be discussed.

3-1-11: San Francisco, CA. Dr. Allen will join Dr. Alberto Colombi of PPG Industries, Inc. to deliver a symposium at the 2001 IBI/NBGH Health and Productivity Forum entitled "Measuring Workplace Depression to Manage It." This session will examine the health and productivity implications of depression AND its context: work-life balance, personal factors, stress, financial concerns and environmental characteristics. The focus will be recently published results from a large, international sample completing a leading HRA. Also discussed will be how employers may vary depression treatment and management based on standardized screening techniques.

12-16-10: Denver, CO. Dr. Allen presented a two-hour symposium to the Colorado Business Group on Health and member organizations. His focus was the vision of health and productivity and its idea that health is best looked upon as an investment not just another “spend” item.  His presentation examined how this vision has been shaped into an approach and implemented by certain large employers – its most effective practitioners to date.  His remarks and the ensuring audience discussion also explored ideas on how to build on these successes to promote this approach on a community-wide basis in the state. Click here for a copy of his presentation.

10-15-10: Washington, DC. At its national annual conference this week, the Care Continnum Alliance honored Navistar, Inc for its exceptional contributions to wellness, prevention and care management during the past year (CCA press release -- Navistar: Outstanding Employer for 2010). The Harris Allen Group, whose collaboration with the company's health and productivity unit over the last decade has produced 14 published articles (Navistar -- HA Group References), sponsored Navistar for this award.

10-11-10: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Allen teamed up with co-authors William Bunn, MD, JD, MPH (Vice President of Health, Safety, Productivity at Navistar, Inc.), Gregg Stave, MD, JD, MPH (Professor, Division of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University), and Ahmad Naim, MD (Associate Director, Medical Affairs Operations, Centocor Ortho Biotech Services, LLC) to produce the two lead articles for this month's issue. These articles focus on the use of health and productivity evidence to drive the development of health benefit design. The first paper presents the rationale for this approach while the second presents the Navistar experience as a case study for using this approach to successfully lower healthcare costs [JOEM press release] [citations: JOEM, 52(10): 951-955 and JOEM, 52(10): 956-963].

4-10-10: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Allen and co-authors, Zorianna Hyworon (president, WellTech, Inc.) and Dr. Alberto Colombi (corporate medical director at PPG, Industries) published their work examining workplace depression. This work was conducted on a broad-based international employee sample (n=44,000) spanning Europe, the U.S., Canada and various Latin American countries. Their article was the lead article in this month's issue of the journal [citation: JOEM, 52(4): 363-374].

9-29-09: Gautineau, Quebec, Canada. Dr. Allen presented results from a new study on the description, prediction and management of severity-stratified depression on the health and productivity of an iinternational employee sample who had completed the Wellness Checkpoint health risk appraisal (HRA). This presentation was made at a Users Conference hosted by InfoTech, Inc. of Wnnipeg, Manitoba, the developer of the HRA.

7-21-09: New York City, NY. Dr. Allen teamed up with Thomas Slavin, Global Health and Safety Director at Navistar, and Drs.. Linda Barrington and Chris Woock of The Conference Board, to deliver the webcast, "Can They Take It? Productivity, Overtime, and the Mature Worker" to human resouce, benefits and finance executives of member companies in the Conference Board's Book of Business.

6-19-09 Phoenix, AZ: Dr. Allen joined Dr. Tom Willson of the Population Health Impact Institute to give the workshop, "Evaluation Designs, Statiistical Design and Analysis: The Methods Evaluation Process (MEP) Certification: Level II Course", at the Case Management Society of America's 19th annual conference.

4-6-09 Orlando FL Dr. Allen collaborated with Dr. William Bunn, Vice President of Health, Safety, Productivity at Navistar, Inc., to give the plenary address, "The Total Burden of Illness in the Workplace: An Archival Portrait of Immune-Mediated Disorders, at the Institute for Health and Productivity Management's 9th Annual International Health and Productivity Outcomes Conference.

10-16 to 10-17-08: Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Allen gave two presentations referencing recently published work at IHPM's 8th annual International Conference: The New Demographic Imperative -- Keeping Employees Healthy. The first was a plenary address with Dr. William Bunn focusing on the impact of working overtime on outcomes for older versus younger employees.. The other was a measurement symposium session on a recent analysis of Wellness Checkpoint Health Risk Assessment data that documented the importance of measuring and managing the impact of health in context when efforts are made to reduced productivity loss.

4-1-08: Orlando, FL. Dr. Allen joined Dr. Debra Lerner, developer of the Work Limitations Questionnaire, to deliver a symposium address at the 4th annual IHPM Health Management Conference on his work using the WLQ and the lessons learned from these recent applications in the field.

10-17 to 10-19-07: Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Allen joined Dr. William Bunn, Vice President of Health, Safety, Productivity and Security at International Truck and Engine Corporation, to deliver a plenary address at the 7th Annual Institute for Health & Productivity Management International Conference on their recently published work on the health, productivity and safety risks of overtime at this heavy manufacturer..

9-06 to 9-7-07: Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Allen joined Sean Sullivan, Wolf Kirsten and colleagues at the 4th Annual IHPM European HPM Congress , co-sponsored by the Institute for Health and Productivity Management and Wolf Kirsten International Health Consulting, and hosted by Intel Corporation. His presentation provided a portfolio of research involving use of the Work Limitations Questionnaire for examining presenteeism. It included his recently published work on the impact of overtime on employee health, safey and productivity, witih a focus on its policy implications for the European Union's Working Time Directive and its measurement implications for health and productivity assessment.

7-31 to 8-01-07: Sydney, Australia: Dr. Allen participated along with the Institute for Health and Productivity Management in the inaugural Australian European Health & Productivity Congress. He presented g an introduction to health and productivity measurement, with a focus on his recenly published work with a heavy manufacturer on the impact of overtime on employee health and productivity outcomes. He also teamed up with Sean Sullivan to deliver on overview of health and productivity measurement.

6-19-07: Newark, NJ. Dr. Allen joined Dr. Dee Edington,, Sean Sullivan, and colleagues to deliver a day-long training session co-sponsored by the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) and Sanofi-Aventis. The title of his presentation: "Measurement: Key to the Business Case for HPM".

4-25 to 4-27-07: Toronto, Canada. Dr. Allen presented at a conference for Canadian employers hosted by Connex, a workplace health and productivity management consulting company located near Toronto, Ontario in Canada (www.connexhc.com) His presentation was entitled "Making the HBM Case for Purchasers With Measurement."

10-09 to 10-10-06: Vienna, Austria. Dr. Allen joined Sean Sullivan and his colleagues from the Institute for Health and Productivity Management at the 3rd Annual IHPM European HPM Congress. The title of Dr. Allen's presentation: "The Science of Measurement."

9-27 to 9-28-06: Las Vegas, NV Dr. Allen participated in three events at the 6th Annual Institute for Health & Productivity Management International Conference. The first involved participaiting in a half-day workshop with Dr. Joe Leutzinger and colleagues from the Academy for Health and Producitivity Management. (Dr. Allen's presentation: "Advancing Health and Productivity Management with the Measurement of Presenteeism.") The other events were half-day symposiums with Drs. Deborah Lerner and Ron Kessler focusing on health and productivity measurement issues.

7-20-06: ClearPoint Employee Benefits Consulting, Seattle, WA. Dr. Allen delivered the keynote address to the Health and Productivity Symposium, hosted by ClearPoint for employers in the Seattle area. His presentation was entitled: "Employers, Employees, and Health and Productivity: Advancing the "Win-Win" in Seattle."

6-23-06: Mid-America Coalition on Health Care, Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO. Dr. Allen teamed up with other faculty (Dr. Rick Nevins, Dr. Joe Leutzinger, and Sean Sullivan , president and founder of the Institute for Health and Productivity Managemen) to deliver a day-long training session for the Academy for Health and Productivity Management. His title of his seminar: "Using Measurement to Advance Health and Productivity Management."

5-22 to 5-24-06: "Measuring and Quantifying the Value of Health Risk Appraisals", a conference held by the World Research Group in Boston, MA. Dr. Allen served as conference chair and led a 3-hour workshop entitled "Blending the Health Risk Appraisal with Employer Interests in Health and Productivity Management."

5-2-06: Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Academy, Employer Market Evaluation Program, Academy for Health and Productivity Management, Titusville, NJ. Dr. Allen served as faculty along with Dr. Joe Leutzinger, president of AHPM, and staff from the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. He made two presentations entitled (1) "Overview of Presenteeism Tools: Application, Selection and Data Integration Considerations" and (2) "Advancing the Objectives of Health and Productivity Management with Management."

4-26-06: Boeing Training Session, Academy for Health and Productivity Management, Seattle, WA. Dr. Allen served as faculty along with Dr. Joe Leutzinger, president of AHPM, and staff from the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. His presentation: "Overview of Presenteeism Tools: Application, Selection and Data Integration Considerations."

2-6-06: CNBC Power Lunch Show: See Paul Hemp, Senior Editor for the Harvard Business Review, being interviewed in a five-minute segment to discuss HBR's list of Breakthrough Ideas for 2006. The second of the three ideas on which he focuses (out of the 20 on this year's list) is our article (see the next entry). Click here to obtain a download of the interview.

2-1-06: Breakthrough Ideas for 2006: The Harvard Business Review List. Dr. Allen and Sean Sullivan, president and founder of the Institute for Health & Productivity Management, joined together to write idea #10 in this year's list. Their focus was the business case for strategic investment in health and productivity. HBR is kindly making available free-of-charge a download of the entire set of 20 ideas to all subscribers and non-subscribers for the month of February. Click here to obtain the download.

12-15-05: Cisco Systems Training Session, Academy for Health and Productivity Management, Palo Alto, CA. Dr. Allen served as faculty along with Dr. Joe Leutzinger, president of AHPM, and staff from the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. His presentation: "Overview of Presenteeism Tools: Application, Selection and Data Integration Considerations."

10-24-05: Business Shrink show, Sirius satellite radio: Dr. Allen was interviewed by host Peter Morris. This show is devoted to understanding the strategy and psychology of business. The focus of the 15-minute segment: recent developments in the field of health and productivity and how they are impacting the approaches employers are taking to employees and their health care costs. Click here to listen to the interview.

10-12-05: Dr. Allen teamed up with Sean Sullivan, President of the Institute for Health and Productivity Managemen (IHPM), in a presentation on the burden of pain on employee health and productivity to the Academy for Health and Productivity Management Pre-Conference Workshop at IHPM's Fifth Annual International Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Click here for conference details.

8-31-05: “Secrets to a Healthier Workforce”. Dr. Allen joined Francis Fey (CEO/President of JI Companies -- the sponsor for the event) and Thomas F. Ferraro (Director of Mayo Clinic Health Management Resources) for an hour-long webinar consisting of three presentations followed by Q&A. Click here for a complete archive of the event.

Burden of Pain on Employee Health and Productivity

An employee survey at a Fortune 100 provider of business services focusing on the impact of pain on employee work performance and quality of life was conducted in late 2004. This work recently appeared in the peer-reviewed , Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Vol 47 (7), July 2005 (see abstract and link to full article). It has since been the subject of the following news articles and interviews (in some cases, access to the news item is restricted to members only):

8-15-05: HR News. An HR editor examines the results for human resource professionals. (Enter Study documents pain's impact on workers, employers in the search window and click).

8-2-05: Joint & Bone - an online journal for rheumatologists explores implications of the results for employers and the treatment of pain.

8-1-05: Ergonomic News - A recent study found more employees drag themselves through their workday in chronic pain than anyone guessed. A closer look .... shows the problem is expensive on many fronts, and that the least painful - and most cost effective - solution is likely to be an ergonomics program.

7-15-05: CBS News/WebMD report: Working In Pain Takes Toll – CBS News - USA Lost productivity due to performing at less than 100 percent on the job (presenteeism) as well as missing work days (absenteeism) directly attributable to pain amounted to three and two thirds days over a 20 day period..

7-13-05: NPR Marketplace radio interview (download MP3) with Harris Allen conducted by Tanya Ott at WBHM, (Birmingham AL); aired nationwide (on approximately 350 stations) in the morning Marketplace segment of National Public Radio's broadcast.

7-11-05: Read the full press release.

Presenteeism

11-29-04: Harvard Business School Working Knowledge.  Newsletter summarizing Paul Hemp's article on Presenteeism in the Harvard Business Review (October 2004).  Harris Allen is one of several researchers quoted . 

Measuring and Managing the Burden of Allergies on Employee Health and Productivity

A two-year project featuring validation, observation, and intervention phases conducted by Harris Allen and colleagues with William Bunn, MD and his team at International Truck & Engine Corporation. This work focused on the burden of allergies in a heavy manufacturing workforce. It culminated in four published papers in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.  Vol.45, No.9, September 2003:

Allen H. & Bunn, W.  Validating Self-Reported Measures of Productivity at Work: A Case for their Credibility in a Heavy Manufacturing Setting, pp 926-940 (see abstract and link to full article).

Bunn W. et al.  The Burden of Allergies—and the Capacity of Medications to Reduce This Burden—in a Heavy Manufacturing Environment”, pp. 941-955 (see abstract and link to full article).

Allen H et al. An Intervention to Promote Appropriate Management of Allergies in a Heavy Manufacturing Workforce: Evaluating Health and Productivity Outcomes, pp. 956-972 (see abstract and link to full article).  

Allen H and Bunn W.  Using Self-Report and Adverse Event Measures to Track Health’s Impact on Productivity in Known Groups. pp. 973-983 (see abstract and link to full article).

9-10-03: Read the full press release.

Depression in the Work Place

The far larger impact of depression on presenteeism than absenteeism is documented at three major US corporations by a team of Yale researchers, headed by Dr. Benjamin Druss, and Dr. Allen. Click here to see the press release.