Wal-Mart compares personal health records with productivity and satisfaction, implies memo.Based on a recent internal memo that suggests ways to cut their employees benefits, it appears that Wal-Mart keeps track of its employees medical status, and then compares this personal information to productivity rates and benefit satisfaction.
According to the
The New York Times:
The memo noted that Wal-Mart workers "are getting sicker than the national population, particularly in obesity-related diseases," including diabetes and coronary artery disease. The memo said Wal-Mart workers tended to overuse emergency rooms and underuse prescriptions and doctor visits, perhaps from previous experience with Medicaid.
The memo noted, "The least healthy, least productive associates are more satisfied with their benefits than other segments and are interested in longer careers with Wal-Mart."
While there are many other odious aspects to the memo that are being well-covered in the blogosphere; How does Wal-Mart find a correlation between health status and satisfaction with benefits, unless they have access to both sets of data? Does Wal-Mart breach the trust of it's employees or break the law in order to analyze this deeply personal information?
Most large corporations offer benefit and job satisfaction surveys, but to be scientifically accurate the associate must be assured that their answers are anonymous. (Would you want your boss to know that you are dissatisfied with your job and that you plan to leave soon?) Therefore, either the managers of Wal-Mart are misleading employees about the confidential nature of the surveys, or, Wal-Mart is using statically flawed information to come its conclusions.
I hold that the former is more likely since
Susan Chambers, the executive who wrote the memo, appears to be someone well-qualified and experienced enough to understand the importance of scientifically sound data. Chambers has a bachelor's degree in systems and data processing, as well as an impressive resume that includes a seat on the Center for Women's Business Research Advisory Council. This is a person who obviously knows a thing or two about how to do solid analysis.
As far as getting access to personal records, it's possible that Wal-Mart is deducing the health of its employees based on health insurance claims, and then matching them up to the satisfaction surveys. If so, Wal-Mart may be in violation of the
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs8-med.htm">Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, especially if the information was kept electronically.
Even if my theories about how Wal-Mart gets access to personal information are incorrect; The ability to correlate employee health status with productivity and benefit satisfaction is the most insidious part of the memo, and the one least likely to attract notice.
www.brainshrub.com/walmart-memo
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