Business Case
“Twenty seven million of us go to work. Our health influences our ability to work and our work influences our health. Their interactions raise personal, public health, business and economic issues that we cannot ignore.”
“The workplace offers unmatched time and opportunity to influence health.”
“Enhancing the health and well-being of the workforce has a major influence on the performance of an organisation”
“One of our key pledges encourages companies to ensure there is a section on health and well-being in their annual reports. This is a clear indication of board-level commitment, which is essential to make a real difference.”
Dame Carol Black, chairman of the Public Health Responsibility Deal’s Health at Work network
“Employers can play a vital role in improving and maintaining the behaviours of their staff.”
“People tend to consume sick care as the benefits are immediate and the costs hidden, whereas they under consume wellness, deterred by its immediate cost and hidden advantages.”
“All the evidence shows that a healthy workforce is closely linked to a healthy bottom line.”
“the rewards are reflected not just in improved productivity but also in attracting and retaining top quality staff.”
The Sunday Telegraph: 12 January 2014
“in companies own interests to play a role in encouraging workers to follow a healthy lifestyle.”
“delivering a significant and sustained improvement in employee health and productivity.”
“companies are increasingly recognising the link between a healthy workforce and a healthy bottom line.”
“Employees who feel their employer cares about their health and well-being are also more likely to be more engaged and loyal, resulting in higher productivity, higher profitability and higher customer support.”
Pru Health
“There should be a clear return on investment for data-driven health management: the availability of good healthcare and an organisational culture that fosters resilience and fitness will translate into productivity gains.”
“measure the returns in productivity, staff turnover, absenteeism, presenteeism, compliance costs, business continuity and engagement.”
Mercer
“Employers need to implement a wellbeing system to put the onus on the individual to look after health rather than a sickness system to pay for them when they are ill.”
Government White Paper – Healthy Lives, Healthy People: May 3013 A Public Health Workforce Strategy
“Feedback from managers showed they appreciated the chance to speak to their colleagues about wellbeing and resilience, as well as building up a skill base to help their staff.”
Merseyside Police: November 2009 advised by Cary L Cooper – Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School
“The challenges . . . eg: the large burden due to high blood pressure, falls, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health; the continuing importance of tobacco; the increasing effect of alcohol and drugs; and the potential benefit of improvements in national diet and physical activity – will require strong national and local leadership to ensure an effective multisectoral integrated response is achieved and sustained”.
The Lancet: March 2013
Work is the most stressful factor in people’s lives
34% saying work
30% saying debt or financial problems
17% saying health
Focus on creating mentally healthy workplaces and supporting staff.
Line managers would like to do more.
MIND: Mental Health at Work – March 2013
“More than a quarter of the UK’s workforce (27%) – a staggering eight million people – have a health problem that’s lasted more than a year, according to our new Health at Work Index”.
“With nearly one in six of these health problems (16%) relating to the heart and circulation, we’re calling for employers to champion the health of their workers. The risk of developing problems such as coronary heart disease can be greatly reduced by losing weight, increasing physical activity and eating a balanced diet”.
“One in ten workers (12%) – approximately 3.5 million people – said their ability to do their job is limited by poor health. This includes over half of diabetes sufferers (58%) and the same proportion of people suffering from depression, mental illness or panic attacks (58%).”
British Heart Foundation – November 2013
“The report by the think-tank [Centre for Economics and Business Research] quantifies the cost of long-term sick leave – periods lasting longer than six months – for the first time and warns that the problem costs the average company with more than 500 employees £620,000 a year.”
The Telegraph: 02 June 2012
“The incentive for UK plc to be an effective agent of social change is the productivity improvement potential of a healthier workforce. The cost of productivity through health-related problems was calculated to be 32% lower for employees in the survey whose vitality age is lower than their chronological age. More than 100 million days were lost in Britain last year (2012) to sickness absence, costing the economy up to
£15 billion in output according to the Department of Work and Pensions. Some 26.4 million days were also lost due to work-related illness or injury. Separately, the Mind mental health charity states that one in six workers in the UK suffers from depression, anxiety or stress, while the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has found that 70 million working days are lost every year in Britain due to mental ill health, costing employers nearly £26 billion a year.”
“corporate health and well-being initiatives lead to healthier and more engaged workforces and directly impact company bottom lines. Specifically, an engaged workforce is said to have 18% higher productivity and 12% higher customer advocacy than one that is disengaged.”
“The risk factors that had the greatest impact on vitality age were physical activity, nutrition, BMI, smoking.”
“The World Health Organisation states that lack of physical activity is one of the principal causes of death and disability in developed countries.”
“one in three respondents (37%) are not eating a healthy range of food . . .
74% not eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day . . . 13.5% deemed to be at an extreme nutritional risk level.”
“This represents a strong opportunity for intervention in the workplace.”
The Sunday Telegraph: 23 June 2013
” . . . more than 13 million days lost to sickness every year and the cost of absenteeism said to be an astonishing £32 billion, no employer can afford to ignore the implications that poor health has on its business.”
The Sunday Telegraph: 12 January 2014
“Research suggests that almost 70% of deaths can be directly attributed to poor lifestyle behaviours that result in the onset of chronic disease.”
Pru Health January 2014
“85% of workers [survey of 10,000 employees from across the UK] had a vitality age, on average, four years higher than their actual age”
87% had at least one risk factor, such as poor nutrition”
“nearly 14% reported a chronic condition of lifestyle, the most prevalent being high blood pressure and depression”
“employers utilising their direct access to captive populations to drive a behavioural change.”
“[vitality age and actual age] gap was found to be worse among men in the workforce than in their female counterparts.”
The Sunday Telegraph: 23 June 2013
Return on Investment
Improved energy levels
Improved concentration
Improved morale
Improved employee engagement
“Employees who feel their employer cares about their health and well-being are also more likely to be more engaged and loyal, resulting in higher productivity, higher profitability and higher customer support.”
“the rewards are reflected not just in improved productivity but also in attracting and retaining top quality staff.”
The Sunday Telegraph – 12 January 2014 – based on consistent findings provided by Pru Health
Improved Absence Management stats
To quantify this and give realistic figures – we need access to client management data, or to work with client to put figures to the results. The investment figures are comparatively very low when measured against a great deal of training and consultancy. The work is very effective and popular and should achieve significant outcomes (10%+). Even if only very small 1%, 2% and 3% improvements were achieved – given the high costs of ill health: performance, productivity, staff turnover, absenteeism, presenteeism, compliance costs, business continuity and engagement the work would pay for itself in months, well within the first year – with measurable added values in motivation, morale and management development.
Reduce coughs, colds, infections
Reduce headaches and migraines
Reduction on musculo-skeletal problems, eg: back pain, lower back conditions
Improved musculo-skeletal conditions, eg: back injury, pain and low back conditions
Reduce Grievances, Disciplinary cases, Costs, Tribunals
Excellent partner to in-house Quality, Mission, Values initiatives.
Improved employee engagement includes:
- feedback and suggestions – which often and typically bring further ROI interest
- interest and support groups – which can be encouraged and rewarded
- independent/satellite projects and competitions
- access to voluntary/contributory information events and seminar days
Management Development:
- many managers have not been used or trained to manage health
Buy a copy of the book
Work Life Body – The indispensable guide to you.
