Action
——– over ———
Education
Trucker driver fitness was recently featured in one of the most unsuspecting publications; Runner’s World magazine. The December 2009 issue contained the story of Jeff Clark, an OTR driver who proudly displays a large 26.2 decal on the side of his truck to commemorate the six marathons he has ran over the past five years[1]. (He has also completed six half-marathons during the same period.) Clark has not always been a runner though; in fact his marathon journey didn’t start until five years ago when he realized that his health was headed in a dangerous direction. Clark’s love for running was born as a result of incorporating regular walks at rest stops into his driving routine. Clark is not the only trucker who has changed lanes with his health, but he is certainly among an impressive, select group.
Countless corporations have invested vast amounts of cash and other resources into funneling health facts, figures and tips to their employees under the guise of a “wellness program”. Sadly, many of these companies have been sorely disappointed in their efforts when they see no notable results from their efforts. While it’s not certain how much wellness knowledge Clark had prior to his change in lifestyle, one thing is certain; he turned what knowledge he had into action! Furthermore, Clark’s formula was very simplistic and probably didn’t come from “information” his employer provided. Clark’s story is one that shouts to employers that the focal point of wellness initiatives must be promoting ACTION, not education.
The formula for wellness success must be action over education. This is not to say education is unimportant, but to emphasize that education alone produces very minimal, measurable impact. Experienced safety professionals know that safety training only addresses two problems: 1) lack of knowledge; 2) lack of skill. If employees have the necessary knowledge and skill, subjecting them to further training will not fix an at-risk behavior problem. To analogize this illustrate to wellness, consider smoking. One would have to be totally removed from society to be unaware of the harmful health effects of smoking. Nonetheless, people continue to smoke or, worse yet, pick up the habit. Therefore, it’s not the lack of knowledge that causes people to continue smoking; it’s that the risk of getting lung cancer, heart disease, etc., is easier to deal with than the pain of breaking the addiction. The same principle holds true for poor dietary choices and lack of exercise.
Realizing Success By Overcoming the Pain
A wise saying reads, “Persons will remain the same until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change.” Jeff Clark had finally had enough of poor health choices and chose the pain of change over the alternative. Unfortunately, too many drivers have become numb to the pain of remaining the same, and many never decide to change before it’s too late. Therein is the next frontier of trucking wellness “education.” Education efforts should be focused on individuals, rather than broad groups, so that those who’ve grown numb to their present state of health can wake up and smell the coffee.
So, what are trucking companies to do with the action over education formula? Trucking companies must make their wellness initiatives be more than mere education campaigns. Obviously providing wellness facts and tips is better than doing nothing, however to realize success, trucking companies must strategically find ways to increase the numerator of this equation. They must find ways to decrease the pain of change by making healthy choices convenient. As we go forward in 2010, we’ll address how wellness campaigns must: 1) have an individual focus, 2) provide health measures that motivate, and 3) promote action. The pain of action must decrease, so that wellness may increase.
Don’t forget to email success stories to:
[1] Morfit, Cameron. Road Warrior. Runner’s World. December 2008, p.17.
