R. Allan Allford, Delta Dental of Arizona

Workplace health is a complicated issue, and employers face a multitude of responsibilities. One aspect, of course, is the healthcare mandate expressly imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In addition to physical well-being is the more subjective psychological well-being — much of which derives from the workplace environment created by company culture. And it’s a bottom-line issue as well, as studies have proven that a healthy employee is more productive. One such study, referenced in former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher’s report Oral Health in America, found that employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to dental disease or dental visits. That’s no small number.

Yet often secondary in the discussion of corporate-sponsored health and wellness benefits is the significance of one’s oral health on overall health. Dentists can detect the signs and symptoms of more than 120 diseases in your mouth, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease — a sure sign that good dental health is an important part of our well-being.

While this month’s In Business Magazine doesn’t delve into that mouth-body connection — you can find that on Delta Dental of Arizona’s blog — it does look at the many facets employers must consider when evaluating wellness in the workplace, whether physiological, psychological or legal.

Recognizing the value of a healthy workplace as a factor in enabling a business to attract and retain the talent it needs to be successful, this issue’s cover story explores what a healthy workplace looks like. In Business Magazine editor RaeAnne Marsh draws on the expertise of professionals in our community and breaks the discussion into four areas: employee benefits, the physical workspace, company culture, and wellness and health plans. She shares tools for creating the best environment.

Honing in on a related topic, Anne Grady addresses this issue’s “Roundtable” feature to discussing alternatives to money as the prime employee motivator. And changes in labor relations between employer and employee are covered in the “Legal” feature, continuing the explanation begun last month of significant elements employers should be aware of.

In Business Magazine’s signature monthly editorial coverage of a broad range of business topics includes an in-depth study of manufacturing in Arizona and our state’s logistical strengths and weaknesses relative to the rest of the country.

In addition, In Business Magazine has updated its special “Open Enrollment Guide” for the second edition of this valuable resource to further inform individual employees and employers as to available plans.

I’m pleased to help bring you this September/October issue of In Business Magazine and hope you enjoy the read.

Sincerely,

R. Allan Allford
President and Chief Executive Officer
Delta Dental of Arizona

R. Allan Allford is the president/CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona, the leading dental benefits insurance company in the state. Allford is also the president of the charitable Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, which has given more than $7 million in community grants for oral health education and dental disease prevention programs since 1997. In addition, Allford serves on several boards and professional associations within the community. He is a proud graduate of the University of Kansas.