By Ilkka Puikkonen, Director, Marketing & business unit, Aino Health Finland
For many of us, driving a car is lot of fun. You get quite easily form your current location to another, whenever you want. Sometimes you enjoy the speed of your car and sometimes you just want to drive slowly past the most amazing views and picturesque villages. However, for longer distances you might sometimes prefer train or plane but then you are not in charge of your journey anymore.
Corporate health management (later CHM) is the way how business leaders and HR professionals ensure that their most vital resource, employees, are capable to work on the tasks they are hired for. Corporate health management combines health data, leadership, wellbeing, safety and social sustainability into one and I think it really can be compared to car driving.
You are in charge of your own journey. You are the driver and your employees in your car trust that you can drive the car safely, smooth and fast enough from A to B. You are the most vital part whether you reach your destination (goals) or not. Of course, the efficiency and reliability of your vehicle plays an important role but also for that you have the keys to influence. Here’s few reasons why I think corporate health management is like driving car.
1. Driver’s skills
For driving a car, you need skills but also a license to drive. No driver’s license is needed for CHM but certainly you need skills to drive your business and take care of the productivity. You have to know your controlling system, where are the gas and breaking pedals, how the gearbox works and how your vehicle behaves when you turn your steering wheel. Not to mention importance of safety. Also, you have to earn your crew’s trust so that they don’t jump out of your vehicle. Especially in full speed.
Leading a business successfully and reaching high productivity require leadership skills, trust from your employees that appears as engagement but also right tools, data and understanding of your organizations pulse. Constantly. Non-engaged employees will start show symptoms such as increased absence leaves and decreased productivity if not jumping out of your vehicle. Either way, it’ll cost a lot of money for you.
Non-engaged employees will start show symptoms
such as increased absence leaves and decreased
productivity if not jumping out of your vehicle.
2. The vehicle
There are tons of different cars with variety of colors, horsepower, 4-wheel drive, sunroof and many other additional parts. The most important parts however are the sensors that gives the driver information of your speed, level of gasoline and oil, status of your engine, condition of you wheels (air pressure), and so on. Many cars have also navigation system telling your current location, right direction/routes and they inform you when the maintenance/service is needed.
Without data, analytics and understanding of your current situation, target and direction, leading a business is difficult if not impossible. One of the key parts in corporate health management is the data. And not data alone, but the analytics of the data and correct actions based on analyzed data. Make sure that you have proper digital platform, e.g. Aino HealthManager, in place that helps you to measure the effectiveness of related actions.
Analyze your employee behavior for example drilling down to root causes of absences early enough, set the targets, plan how to improve the situation and, most importantly, start activities that lead to better productivity. Engaged employees are productive, they are present and will give their best to the team. Put sensors to your business, analyze data, set the targets and action plan. And do it in regular basis and change the direction whenever needed. Don’t outsource your core and leadership.
3. Driving
Driving a car is easy and fun. However, there are certain rules on the common routes that you have to follow and remember that sometimes rules can change. In CHM the biggest change for rules is GDPR, which will be effective in May 2018. Make sure you are compatible with GDPR rules, otherwise driving will be quite expensive. Ask help from your nearest CHM dealer.
If you drive too fast you’re sooner or later expected to crash. But on the other hand, if you break too much your pace can be too slow. Also, if you break too suddenly from the top speed you might cause a collision. The driver has to be alerted all the time what is happening near you and also take predictive actions. Know when to speed up and notice early when to push the breaks.
Same applies for CHM. Sometimes you have to “push the pedal to the metal”, but you have to break every now and then to make sure you’re not crashing, and you are on a right track. Driving too slow and breaking too much will let your competitors pass and drive ahead of you. Remember to keep the pace so that you keep the right track, are ahead of your competitors but keep your other leg on a break to ensure your employees will not overheat and eventually break down nor crash. Trust your sensors, analyze employee data, be predictive and be alerted of the symptoms. Turn steering wheel when needed. Leadership is the key.
Trust your sensors, analyze employee data,
be predictive and be alerted of the symptoms.
4. Maintenance and inspection
No car will run forever, especially if maintenance and regular inspections will be skipped. Take care of your vehicle, change worn-out parts and wash it in regular basis until it shines. Get it inspected in time and regularly. Maintenance of your car require some investment, but it will pay you back in terms of nice, smooth and safe driving and you ensure you get from A to B.
Similarly, you should take care of your employees. Ensure their wellbeing (physical and mental). Wash your employer brand every now and then. Get your CHM processes, data, and mode of work inspected by third party in regular basis. Benchmark to others. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the ride.
The future of automotive industry, thus driving a car is inevitably changing. Cars will be autonomous, and no driver is needed any longer. Similar development can also be seen in corporate health management. Predictive health analytics combined with big data is affecting to employee absences and risk for early retirement and will change the way HR professionals and business leaders drive their businesses in the future. Data will automatically tell us what will happen if we continue the same way as before and helps us to plan future scenarios more accurately.
Predictive health analytics combined with big data is
affecting to employee absences and risk for early
retirement and will change the way HR professionals and
business leaders drive their businesses in the future.
So let me predict…. predictive corporate health analytics will be here sooner than autonomous cars. Just stay tuned…
By Ilkka Puikkonen, Director, Marketing & Business Unit, Aino Health Finland
We at Aino aim to create a world, where organizations and people are healthier. If you want to know more about Aino’s tools and solutions for Corporate Health Management, just contact us here or leave a message.