If you have read this column at any point in the past year or so, you likely have picked up on the fact that I am a feminist. So when Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” was published, I eagerly followed the ensuing media maelstrom. Admittedly, I have not read the book, but in some ways, I think the criticism it raises is more telling than the book itself.

As a working woman myself and as the product of a two-working parent household, my first inclination was to jump on the “mommy wars” bandwagon. But rather than being about the tired topic of whether or not women can “have it all,” the book is really about how to correct the dearth of women in corporate America. Sure, Sandberg has two degrees from Harvard and a high-visibility job at one of the world’s most influential companies, but at least she recognizes that there is a problem.

Consider the statistics: Only 21 of the Fortune 500 companies have female chief executives. In North America, only 18 percent of working women are in senior management, compared to 46 percent in Russia. The United States ranks in the bottom 10 economies when it comes to women in senior management. According to the 2012 Grant Thornton International Business Report, the worldwide percentage of women in senior management peaked at 24 percent in 2009 but has since declined to 21 percent—despite research showing that businesses with a greater proportion of women experience stronger stock market growth.

Sandberg’s touchy-feely suggestions—such as insisting husbands split housework, that women draft both short- and long-term career plans and watch videos designed to help them hone their leadership skills—certainly fail to address the larger problem of institutionalized barriers in the workplace. While many critics suggest that Sandberg incorrectly puts the onus on women to be more successful, I recently had an experience that suggests she may be on to something.

One Saturday night, I went to dinner with a group of friends that included one master’s degree recipient and four Ph.D. candidates. During the meal, someone mentioned an article she had recently read about the “imposter syndrome,” a phenomenon that was identified in 1978 during a study of women who were able to crack the glass ceiling in male-dominated businesses. Despite their successes, the women’s intense feelings of inadequacy manifested themselves in behaviors such as being afraid of new responsibilities because of a fear of failure and a belief that any praise given on the job was not genuine. My dinner companions all had stories about times they felt like a fraud at work, and not because anyone criticized them or talked down to them, but simply because they have internalized the belief that they are not qualified to do their jobs.

The critics claim that Sandburg’s advice implicitly blames women for not standing up for themselves in the business world, but that is just part of a bigger problem: allowing women to value their contributions in all aspects of life. While change is never easy, the problems facing women in the workplace are a Catch-22: In order for offices to be free of so-called impostors  systemic changes need to happen. But until better support systems are in place, women will remain afraid to be the best they can be. Fortunately, companies like Coca-Cola and UPS are recognizing the need to encourage and support women in leadership positions and have been directing their resources to putting these support systems in place. I sincerely hope that other businesses soon follow their example to use their influence to support the leaders of tomorrow.

It may be surprising to learn that about 50 to 70 percent of people spend at least six hours of their day sitting down. Factor in a 9-to-5 job and your favorite TV marathon and you’ve got a recipe for sedentary disaster. But what if this could change? Companies around the nation are starting to implement wellness programs to encourage movement throughout the day. From stair-climbing competitions to all-out sporting events, wellness is catching on.

This past February, the Atlanta Business Chronicle hosted its third annual awards event honoring Atlanta’s healthiest employers. Four Cobb County companies made the list, including the City of Kennesaw in the category of medium-sized companies, as well as McCarthy Building Companies Inc., PrintPack Inc., and WellStar Health System for large companies.

In a day and age in which wellness in the workplace is often overlooked, these companies are making major strides toward healthy work environments inside and outside of the office. Each of these companies offers important insight on how health and wellness in the workplace is not only achievable, but how it can contribute to a higher degree of service and ultimately lead to a more productive company.

City of Kennesaw

Number of Employees: 300

Responsible for everything from the city’s public safety and law enforcement to its infrastructure management and maintenance, the City of Kennesaw doesn’t shy away from active work. As a result, City of Kennesaw Communications Manager Pam Davis says there is no shortage of health inspired programs here. “The city conducts a comprehensive wellness program for employees, including annual on-site health assessments and on-site coaching offered by our partnership with Community Health Network, as well as eligibility for monetary awards for exercise and preventive care,” Davis says. As for in-office wellness?  They’ve got that covered, too. “We are currently conducting a challenge called ‘Break-It-Up,’ to encourage employees to walk or do seated exercises during their breaks and lunch periods,” she explains. “Our CHN coach comes up with several challenges during the year to keep employees engaged and participating in fitness programs.” She goes on to say that the coaches conduct sessions each month that focus on different aspects of wellness like nutrition, exercise and stress reduction.

When asked why having a healthy work environment is important, Davis says that improving quality of life for Kennesaw’s employees tops the list. After all, she says, “Healthy, fit employees have more energy, are more productive and have a lower rate of absenteeism.”

WellStar Health System

Number of Employees: 12,800

WellStar Health System, the fifth most integrated health care delivery system in the country, has witnessed its fair share of wellness woes. As a not-for-profit health organization that serves 1.3 million residents in five counties, WellStar continues to raise the bar when it comes to in-house health. They launched the HealthStart program in October of 2011—a program designed to promote personal wellness in the workforce. It’s offered to all WellStar employees and their spouses on their medical plans. Activities included in the HealthStart program include benefit fairs, lunch and learns, fitness challenges and weight management programs.

Cecelia Wagoner, assistant VP of corporate and community health for WellStar shares how the program works. “The HealthStart program is designed to include three main program components, each worth 100 points,” she says. This includes a three-step process: Health Risk Assessment and Screening; Behavior Modification; and Individual Outcomes and Rewards. “In addition to improving their overall health, HeathStart participants who earn a total of 300 wellness points each year will receive a cash payment of $300,” Wagoner explains. “Also, medical plan participants who enroll in HealthStart can receive a HealthStart Credit on their medical plan insurance premium.” WellStar has seen immense growth in the HealthStart program since its debut in 2011, jumping from 4,620 participating team members in 2011 to 5,773 the following year.

So why is this so important to the WellStar family? “It is an investment in each team member’s health and well-being … if our team members are well and healthy, they will take better care of our patients and the community,” says Wagoner. She notes that it also helps team members feel valued and appreciated by the organization, which carries out into the community. “Our team members are part of this community as well and the workplace is the single best opportunity to influence healthy behaviors,” Wagoner explains. “By supporting team members at the workplace, the behaviors and influences will be taken back and shared with their individual families, schools, congregations and community organizations.” She also says that educating team members on the importance of a healthy lifestyle means they can become ambassadors of wellness in creating a healthier community.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

Number of Employees: 65 (Atlanta); 1,500 (nationwide)

Founded in 1864, McCarthy is the nation’s oldest privately owned construction firm. Their services range from construction management, general contract and design and build contractual agreements. This 100 percent employee-owned company has a holistic approach to wellness that parallels their mission to be “The Best Builder in America.”

In 2010, McCarthy founded a comprehensive Build for Life program that focuses on four key areas of wellness: awareness, prevention, activity and lifestyle and stress. “As an employee-owned company, helping one another stay healthy is an important part of our culture,” says Teri Lynn Reed, a public relations representative for McCarthy. In order to build awareness around their community, each McCarthy office has a strong representation among local organizations that promote awareness to the health risks that specifically affect large numbers of people in the community.

In order to generate capacity for their Build for Life program, McCarthy offices launched an interactive and personalized wellness rewards program that makes healthy living accessible to employees and their families. “The approach takes into account the individual’s overall health, lifestyle and risk factors, [and works] with them to establish and achieve personal wellness goals, motivating them with cost-savings on insurance premiums and rewards along the way,” explains Reed. Since the initiation of the rewards program, McCarthy has seen an overall participation rate in Build for Life rise to 75 percent.

Along with Build for Life, McCarthy offers a little in-office competition to get people moving. Among these challenges are a company-wide competition called Activity Challenge (with the Southeast region taking first place for the last two years), and in-house stair climbing competitions. “Employees started taking the stairs instead of the elevators to increase steps taken during the day,” explains Reed. “We created a SE [Southeast] division team page in McCarthy’s intranet site where we could see where each SE employee ranked in terms of overall steps.”

These Cobb companies have taken the necessary steps to achieve the highest standards in health and well-being for their employees. With the incorporation of wellness in the workplace, they have seen immense growth in productivity, morale and efficiency. Taking care of yourself should rank just as high as taking care of your business. Reach out to your employers to see if there is a wellness program at your company. If not, why not start one? Even the smallest of steps can combine to achieve the greatest of strides.

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With wellness on the rise in the corporate horizon, it’s comforting to know that it’s easy to live well with WellCorp Rx, a leading provider of on-site preventive wellness services at the workplace. From biometrics to bone density checkups, the company’s goal is to address today’s most prevalent wellness issues. Ask your human resources representative about having WellCorp Rx an event at your office. Most companies that offer medical insurance have access to WellCorp Rx services.
Call (770) 434-8633 for more information.

What they can offer:

• Nutrition counseling
• Fitness coaching, including personal training services
• Allergy testing
• Health screenings
• Lunch and learns

In today’s high-tech world, we strain our eyes every day. In many offices, working with computers is not only an integral part of the job, but a majority require employees to be reading or looking at a computer screen for 6–8 hours of their work day. A poll from Careerealism asked readers how many hours a day on average they spent on a computer, including when they weren’t working; 33 percent said they were on computers 10–12 hours every day and 32 percent said 7–9 hours.

May is Healthy Vision Month, which is designed to elevate vision as a national health priority. Created by the National Eye Institute in 2003, Healthy Vision Month promotes the importance of early detection and treatment for common eye diseases and conditions. Despite our society’s dependence on, and perhaps overuse of, screen-based entertainment media, there are other ailments to watch out for when it comes to taking care of your eyes. Learning how to protect your eyes will keep them healthy and working to their full potential.

Avoiding Eyestrain

It’s not just working adults who are risking the health of their eyes from too much screen time. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an infographic depicting the average number of hours children in different age groups spent in front of a screen. They reported that children ages 8–10 spent about six hours a day in front of screens and children ages 11–14 spent a whopping nine hours a day on average in front of a screen. The infographic also showed alternative activities that children could be doing instead, such as playing basketball, walking the dog or riding their bikes. Not only would these alternatives help to keep their bodies healthy, but it would give their eyes a much-needed break.

“The two main complaints from long-term computer work are visual fatigue, called asthenopia, and dry-eye related symptoms,” says Dr. Stuart R. Tasman, a diplomat in the American Board of Optometry who has been in private practice for more than 32 years. “With the advent of the new tablets and iPhones, more and more near-oriented complaints are being seen in an eye doctors’ office. More intense near-work results in more symptoms requiring office visits.”

A few ways to avoid eyestrain when working on a computer for long periods of time are reducing glare and using proper lighting. If possible, make sure any window light is to the side of your screen rather than in front or behind it. The “20-20-20” rule is a good one to abide by: Look away from your computer every 20 minutes and focus on a distant object around 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. This will exercise your eyes and reduce the risk of your eyes locking focus, which is called an accommodative spasm.

Common Eye Ailments

Some of the most common eye ailments have little to do with overuse and strain and more to do with the fact that the eye is a sensitive organ. Dr. Steven Corwin of the Marietta Eye Clinic sees patients most often for corneal abrasions, conjunctivitis, chalazions (styes) and sub-conjunctival hemorrhages. “Corneal abrasion occurs when the surface of the eye is scratched or when something gets in the eye,” says Corwin, “and is treated with antibiotic drops and either lubricating ointment, a bandage, contact lens or patch.”

Conjunctivitis and sub-conjunctival hemorrhages tend to be trickier, because they have to run their course. Conjunctivitis is often caused by a viral infection and can be treated with cortisone drops to ease discomfort. Typically caused by roughly rubbing the eye or by a temporary increase in blood pressure, sub-conjunctival hemorrhages are treated with ice packs for the first few days and then left to clear on their own. Chalazions are caused by a blocked lid gland. Warm compresses, and sometimes cortisone injections or surgical drainage, are used for relief.

Tasman says what patients call “pink eye” is what he sees most often. “The reality is there is no such thing as ‘pink eye,’ as the eye turns red with allergic conjunctivitis, bacterial conjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis. All of these ailments constitute the most common maladies seen in most eye doctors’ offices,” he says. “The second most common eye problem is probably related to infections from over-wear of contacts. This can lead to an ulcer, which is visually threatening and should be treated vigorously.” Most infections are treated with antibiotics, depending on the pathogen.

Doctor’s Orders

There are many preventive measures that can be taken to ensure your eyes stay healthy, and a big one is utilizing proper eye protection for all tasks. Corwin stresses the importance of wearing eye protection when playing sports or doing any home repairs. “Always wear UV blocking sunglasses outside, as they protect against cataracts and macular degeneration,” he says.

“Regular eye exams are necessary to make sure the eyes are healthy and free of disease,” says Tasman. “People generally will only go to the eye doctor when they have blurred vision. Most eye diseases are treatable if found early. Good, prudent care of your eyes is important to one’s overall health.” Corwin advises patients to have a comprehensive, dilated eye exam every one to two years, as many eye conditions have very subtle symptoms that are easily overlooked unless diagnosed by a professional.

Your diet and lifestyle can also have a notable effect on your eye health, especially if you smoke. According to Corwin, smoking can significantly increase your chance of developing macular degeneration. Both Corwin and Tasman agree it is important to eat plenty of dark, leafy greens—vegetables like spinach and collard greens can help protect against macular degeneration as well. “People will go to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned and checked regularly,” says Tasman. “It amazes me that every time I ask, ‘Are your eyes or teeth more important to you?’ they always say eyes. Please have a thorough eye evaluation at least every two years.”

Taking care of your eyes should be given the same consideration and level of importance as the care of any other major organs. Sight is a sense not to be taken for granted, so be sure to rest your eyes after long periods of time on the computer or reading, eat plenty of green vegetables and schedule regular checkups with your optometrist. As Tasman says, “You only get one pair of eyes, so take care of them.”