The Behavior Change podcast is hosted by Dr. Kerry E. Evers, Ph.D. discussing innovative and evidence-based behavior change strategies designed to increase wellbeing. Today’s guest, Dr. Ron Goetzel, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized and widely published expert in health and productivity management return on investment program, evaluation and outcome research. Dr. Goetzel is the senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of public health, the director of the Institute for health and productivity studies, and the president and CEO of the health project. Tune in for Dr. Kerry Evers and Dr. Ron Goetzel’s conversation as they discuss workplace wellbeing in addition to establishing a relationship between employee wellbeing, productivity and organizational success!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [01:00] Americans will spend about a third of their lives at work
• [02:45] There is a relationship between employee health and well-being and economic and business outcomes
• [04:00] Can you improve the health and wellbeing of your employees?
• [06:00] The culture of the organization and leadership are central to any programs
• [08:00] What will emerge post COVID-19
• [11:30] Top 10 list of magic ingredients for workplace programs
• [16:00] Recommendations for small businesses
• [21:00] C Everett Koop National Health Awards

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Worksites are doing more well-being and disease prevention work than any other entity in society today.
• There are many benefits to implementing wellness effectively, not only for the employees, but also for the organizations.
• Simple wellness-focused changes can cost almost nothing and create monumental change.

BIO:

Ron Z. Goetzel, PhD, Senior Scientist and Director, Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at Johns Hopkins University and Vice President of Consulting and Applied Research at Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters Healthcare Business) is a nationally recognized expert in health management, data analysis, and applied research. He has led numerous projects focusing on documenting the health and productivity cost burden of various disease conditions and the ROI achieved by health management programs. He is Principal Investigator (PI) on several large-scale NIH, CDC, and CMS funded studies focused on risk reduction and cost savings. Dr. Goetzel earned his doctorate in Organizational and Administrative Studies and his MA in Applied Social Psychology from New York University, and his BS degree in Psychology from the City College of New York.