Plus

Q & A
WITH BOB MERBERG
BOB MERBERG
is the Health Shifting
blogger and awardwinning
program
manager at Paychex. He
shares insights on the
wellness industry today
and where we need to
go tomorrow.
WBP: What’s your role at Paychex?
Merberg: For the last 9 years, I’ve
led all our employee wellness initiatives.
Along the way I’ve gained
responsibility for our dining services
and, recently, oversight of safety,
ergonomics, and workers comp. I
participate in vetting new vendors
and programs related to healthcare
benefits and consumerism. In all
these endeavors, I have the honor
of collaborating with team members
who represent the best of the best.
What’s the meaning behind your
blog title: Health Shifting?
Health shifting means assigning
a fair share of accountability for
employee health to employers. It’s
a takeoff on employers’ concept of
cost shifting, where they reassign
employees with an increasing share
of healthcare costs. Employers can
meet their responsibilities by improving
workforce management practices
known to influence employee health,
like limiting overtime, facilitating
work-life fit, empowering employees,
making job security a priority, and
matching rewards to the effort work
required. This approach contrasts
with our faith in behavioral change
as the only health solution.
Worker stress is a hot topic in
the popular press and professional
journals. Is there a common
thread or culprit across all
industries wellness professionals
should address?
Consistently facing intense demands
with limited control over job responsibilities
is the common culprit across
industries and job categories. This
type of stress, called “job strain,” is
insidious to well-being. Job stress is
not a product of workers’ thoughts
and perceptions, as employers would
like to believe. It’s demonstrably
infused in the work and the environment.
Research is clear about this.
Wellness professionals, including
myself, have to partner more effectively
throughout the organization to
make a dent in stress.
4 WELL-BEING PRACTITIONER