What responsibility do employers have for insuring the health and well-being of their employees? The question is more important than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and with more employees working from home. American businesses have long offered workplace and employee wellness programs, but evidence of improving, maintaining, and fostering health is limited. Employees are demanding more and better resources for health promotion, particularly with respect to mental health. On the other hand, human resource departments are traditionally viewed as a cost center, and the incentives to promote health from a business perspective are murky. Do businesses have an ethical obligation to promote a healthy workforce? Are there instances in which the profit motive and employee health align? What is the ROI on workplace wellness programs? Does evidence of ROI incite organizations to act?
Panelists:
Colin Espie, PhD, DSc (Med), For that past 10 years, Colin has been the Professor of Sleep Medicine at the University of Oxford where he is Director of the Experimental & Clinical Sleep Medicine research programme in the Sir Jules Thorne Sleep & Circadian Neurosciences Institute, and Clinical Director of Oxford Online Programme in Sleep Medicine. His Oxford position is affiliated with the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and he is also a Senior Research Fellow at Somerville College and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry. He is an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, at the University of Glasgow where he worked until 2012.
Amy Adler, PhD, is a clinical research psychologist and senior scientist with the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). She received a BA in economics from Brown University and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas. Dr. Adler served as a clinical psychologist in US military health clinics in Germany, as an instructor with the University of Maryland-European Division, and as a research psychologist with WRAIR’s unit in Heidelberg, Germany, eventually transitioning to WRAIR’s headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. Dr. Adler has authored more than 170 articles and chapters, and edited/co-edited seven books, including Anger at Work (American Psychological Association, 2021). Dr. Adler’s research includes developing easily-fielded emotion regulation techniques and examining the role of leadership in behavioral health and resilience.
Moderator:
Michael Darden, PhD, is an associate professor of economics at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He is also a member of the HBHI Leadership Team.
Conversations on the Business of Health Webinar Series
This event is part of a larger series on 'Conversations on the Business of Health,' which will be one-hour webinars that will engage leaders in business and academia. We will explore questions such as: Should companies invest in their employees’ health? Are companies responsible for the health consequences of their products? Will artificial intelligence actually advance health? How can business offer healthcare in novel settings?
Moderated by faculty members and jointly hosted by the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Carey Business School, the School of Nursing, and the School of Medicine, the series is open to all. Indeed, we invite you to spread the word as we seek participants both inside and outside of Johns Hopkins, including the business world.
Seminars will be on a Friday from noon to 1 p.m. ET unless otherwise noted.
