Employee health and wellness initiatives are forecast to
reduce absenteeism by 11 to 15%, reduce compensable
injury by up to 5% and improve present absenteeism by 3 to
5%. This means your workers are at work more and working
more productively.
Businesses that have implemented health and wellness programs
enjoy:
Companies effectively running wellness programs had 2.5
times improved employee performance, eight times higher
employee engagement and 3.5 times higher innovation and
creativity on the job. (2009 Australian research.)
Retain and Attract Talent: The 2009 study also showed that
companies that did not manage health and wellness were four times
more likely to lose talent over a 12 month period. Company
sponsored wellness programs send a clear message to employees
that management values them and their wellbeing. Healthy
employees are less likely to leave and therefore there is less money
spent on hiring and training new people.
The benefit to your organisation
There is immense benefit to your organisation/business in focussing on
employee health. The decision to invest in a wellness program for staff
can come from a culture of care or a culture of compliance… either way
there are tremendous benefits for your organisation. Of course, a culture
of care will always be evident to workers and this will ultimately have a
positive impact on staff loyalty.
Wellness Programs
Businesses that have implemented workplace programs focusing on
employee health have enjoyed many benefits which all equate to cost
savings and increased productivity. Could your business benefit from the
following outcomes of a wellness program:
Reduced absenteeism: A 2005 study by Medibank Private
found that “unhealthy employees take nine times more sick leave
than healthy employees. Healthy employees are nearly three times
more productive than employees with poor health. The financial cost
of poor health and wellbeing is estimated at over seven billion
dollars per year, nationally”.
While direct costs such as the hiring of a temporary replacement worker
can be tangible, the indirect costs of unplanned sick days include delays in
project completion and co-workers having to take on extra responsibility.
Absenteeism is measureable and addressable through corporate wellness
programs.
Improve Presenteeism: Often employees are at work, however they are
not functioning to the best of their ability due to a range of physical or
mental health issues. It has been estimated that presenteeism costs
companies up to four times as much as absenteeism through loss of
productivity on the job. (Reference: www.fwaw.com)
Recent work health data
Recent Victorian work health data showed:
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) suggests that 60% of Australians
are overweight or obese so this adds further to potential risks for injury or
chronic disease and means that it is not one in three employees, but one
in two that are potentially at risk of chronic ill health… therefore
decreased productivity and increased absenteeism is waiting to happen.
4% of Australians have diabetes, that’s around 999,000 and it’s thought
that just as many are still yet to be diagnosed. If diabetes was a country it
would be the 3rd largest country in the world. One person in 10 in
Australia has Type 2 diabetes, so it’s highly likely that you have a person
with diabetes working in your organisation. Over half our population is
overweight so this puts them at high risk of diabetes and other chronic
illnesses which will impact on productivity at work and sick days.
Australians with diabetes are twice as likely to have a disability compared
with the general population, according to a new report from the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare. People with diabetes also had higher rates
of hypertension, cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, depression, vision loss
and kidney disorders, the report found.
Medibank Private (2005) report:
Health Issue | ||
Body weight | 62% Overweight | 28% obese |
Exercise | 10% inactive | 40% minimal activity |
Diet | 46% reported high fat diets |
|
Stress | 53% | |
Risky behaviours (smoking, drinking, lack of sun protection) |
56% at medium to high risk levels |
|
Sleep | More than 50% don’t get enough sleep |
|
Medical conditions | 21% had been unwell in the preceding three months. |
The research is unanimous… poor health and physical inactivity is
impacting on profits and productivity. The incidence of lifestyle disease in
workers is also likely to escalate further as the Australian workforce ages,
with a consequent reduction in productivity, increased risk of injury and
elevated workplace costs. (Australian Government Productivity Commission, 2004;
Giles-Corti et al., 2004; Howatt & Ritchie 2004; Shephard, 1999).
Download: Effective Health and Wellbeing Programs – Putting You First
The programs
Health and wellbeing programs need to have staff ‘buy in’ so it’s critical to
set up a system that involves staff and includes system changes to ensure
your wellness initiatives are not just one hit wonders that don’t change
anyone’s behaviour let alone positively affect health outcomes.
Body Warfare has a series of wellness packages to suit any organisation
and programs can be tailored to your individual company needs.
Body Warfare can provide assistance with:
BODY WARFARE by Lisa Renn
What do you need to focus on health for?
Healthy people have energy, are
confident, organised and productive,
however, the opposite is also true.
We’re not supposed to judge a book by
its cover but if that is all you have to go
on it may be what happens. Are you
projecting health and confidence? In
potential customer’s minds if you look
the part then you inspire confidence.