Discovery Health's Brett Tromp Discusses Employee Health Metrics in Corporate Reporting
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Like any good Chief Financial Officer, Discovery Health’s Brett Tromp is focused on improving the bottom line. The global health insurance company, which has identified a clear correlation between an employee’s health and productivity, is leading the call for integrating workforce health metrics into the broader corporate accountability framework.
As Tromp explains it, this information is critical for consideration by shareholders and potential investors. "Currently, we have the triple bottom line, which is financial, social and environmental reporting, but we just feel there’s something missing," Tromp noted.
"The key part of the business is people and the productivity impact they have on the business. Fourth bottom line reporting adds a fourth pillar, which reports around employees’ productivity and health. As we’ve seen with other lines, if companies arent required to report on it, they sometimes don’t take it seriously."
"Being a health insurer, we were able to analyze the health records of our call center staff against their performance scores. We found a 16 percent increase in productivity amongst healthier employees."
The insurer’s 4th bottom-line reporting initiative has brought together top corporations, governments and NGOs, including Front Runners Discovery, IBM and Dow Chemical Company, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Partners Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
"We’ve received tremendous support from CFOs," noted Tromp. "This seemingly intangible benefit that couldn’t be measured on the balance sheet is actually very real and provides a quantifiable impact on the bottom line."
