Almost two thirds of employees say that they would appreciate help and advice in the workplace on how to improve their health and wellbeing. According to research undertaken by Metlife, 63% of workers believe they would benefit from additional support from their employers in order to improve their health through work.
The importance of your employees’ health and wellbeing should never be underestimated. Time and again research has shown that happy, healthy employees are more productive and take less time off, which boosts a business’ bottom line.
The Consumer Intelligence study, which surveyed more than 2,000 adults, found that a fifth of employees had taken time off for stress related illness, with most workers absent for five days or more. In fact, taking time off due to stress problems was higher than taking time off for family illness and was on a par with absence due to bereavement.
It was significantly higher than the number of people absent due to sports injuries (10%) and employees who could not attend work due to hangovers or other alcohol related problems (8%).
Metlife UK employee benefits director Tom Gaynor is quoted as saying: “Stress is a major issue with one in five employees having to take time off work in the past year.
“It is clear that staff would welcome more support and help from employers on health and wellness in the workplace and it is also clear that employers have recognised the need to provide support.
“There is a genuine benefit for both employers and employees in promoting good health at work. Helping staff to be healthier cuts the cost of absence for employers and enables employees to avoid illness where possible and to recover faster.”
For more information on how you can create a healthier workforce contact the OHBM team. At Occupational Health Business Management we offer expert occupational health solutions to businesses of all sizes and statures, and can help you to get the best out of your employees.