identified a significant shift in attitudes to health & wellbeing from the perspective of improving retention and attraction as well as reducing absenteeism. However, we recognise there is a lot more that could be done as we approach Christmas, at a time when some organisations feel that initiatives to promote health and wellbeing constitute excessive mollycoddling.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

A proactive approach to health and wellbeing reaps the following rewards:

 

IMPROVED LEVELS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Workers are prepared to walk that extra mile, their relationships with colleagues improve, they provide an enhanced level of customer service, they experience greater job satisfaction, morale rises, they are more motivated when carrying out their duties and are more likely to talk positively about the organisation to potential employees of the future. Employee satisfaction surveys, questionnaires and interviews are our preferred methods of measuring levels of engagement.

 

LOWER RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING BILLS
Reduced staff turnover results in less time and money spent on advertising, paying agency fees, interviewing, induction training and development activities. Earlier this year the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development calculated that it costs £7,750 to replace an employee that resigns.

 

REDUCED ABSENCE RATES
A healthy workforce is more likely to attend work when they are feeling a little ‘under the weather’, because they are able to shrug off aches and pains. People that are not obese, only drink alcohol in moderation, abstain from illegal drugs, sleep on average eight hours per night, take regular exercise and eat healthily will be able to work under pressure longer and more effectively than their unhealthier counterparts. Absence costs UK business £659 per employee per year (8.4 days).

 

STRESS AND BREAKS
Last month we were informed that a fifth of all teachers in one local authority were absent with stress at any one time during the last school year. Figures show that a third of all employees are either suffering from or know someone who is suffering is from work related stress.

This summer many employees chose a ‘stay-cation’, holidaying at home as they were unwilling to pay to go away on holiday. This trend and increasing stress as targets become more difficult to achieve is likely to see staff cutting back on their relaxation time. ‘Burn-out’ is a possibility amongst the staff that are the most committed and help keep the business ticking over. It is important that employees are encouraged to take regular holiday breaks to avoid a build-up of pressure which can manifest itself as a range of health problems such as heart disease, back pain and gastrointestinal problems. Even breaks during the working day are important and should be valued: a break every three hours may involve going for a short walk, sitting down to eat a meal or relaxing over a journal of newspaper. Areas should be set aside for lunchtime breaks and meetings that go on over lunch should be an exceptional occurrence.

MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
This is an umbrella term that covers over 200 different ailments including arthritis, back pain and damage to joints, muscles and tendons – statistically affecting twice as many people as stress and accounting for up to a third of all GP consultations. Government policy is to recommend early intervention and emphasise the importance of keeping sufferers in work wherever possible to boost national productivity and help reduce the 2.6 million people claiming Incapacity Benefit. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect all kinds of industries and occupations – in particular health and social care, caring and personal service occupations, the construction and building trades, transport and machine drivers, and process plant and machine operatives. However, people affected by an MSD can also develop some degree of mental health problems as a result of their illness. Hence, the chance of staff developing these problems is reduced if the employer implements proactive measures to promote health and wellbeing and the chance of a swift return to work after an MSD-related absence are increased if people have positive mental health and support from their employer and family.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL MISUSE
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development recently calculated that four out of ten employers believe alcohol misuse is a significant cause of employee absence and lost productivity, whilst one third of organisations reported that drug misuse has a similarly negative effect in the workplace.

Despite the damaging effects of drug and alcohol misuse, almost half of the 500 organisations surveyed have no policy in place to help them manage this challenging issue. The survey also finds employers could do more to support employees with substance dependency problems, with only 38 percent of employers providing co-ordinated rehabilitation support to help individuals with drug or alcohol problems return to work after treatment. Only a half of employers provide access to counselling or to occupational health services for employees fighting drink or drug problems. However, the survey found that where organisations refer employees with drug or alcohol problems to specialist treatment or give them rehabilitation support, more than 60 percent remained working for the organisation after successfully managing their problem.

Adding an additional section to the employee handbook is not enough, and proactive employers are communicating via staff briefings, poster or publicity campaigns at work, internal notice boards newsletters and email alerts. At Fluid we find that few managers have even been trained in how to manage misuse of drug and alcohol at work.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

In the last couple of years the following measures have paid dividends for particular organisations where a certain culture and beliefs exist:

 

AWARENESS COURSES
Advice on maintaining healthy hearts, reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, tips and hints for balanced diets and getting more active.

CONTINGENCY PLANNING
To deal with a future pandemic – although it may sound like science fiction, good disaster management practices require a plan to be set up to respond to an outbreak and the effects it may have on the business and transport, banking and the internet. Employers need to be developing plans for installing equipment so people can work from home, a formal method of recording and monitoring sickness absence and encouraging better personal hygiene at work.

 

COUNSELLING SERVICES
Trained professionals providing support online, via the telephone or on a face-to-face basis.

 

EATING HEALTHILY
Change in catering facilities, introduce health checks, provide free milk for staff wishing to eat cereal at work and swap biscuits for fruit. Healthy cooking classes could be offered as a perk or as a reward for achieving targets.

 

EXERCISE
Try introducing yoga or relaxation classes at lunchtimes. If insufficient space exists, arrange a discount with a local gym or offer the services of a personal trainer for a month as a prize for a significant work-related achievement. Encourage walking, jogging or cycling to work by providing showers and lockers. And why not encourage public transport use through negotiating discounts – surveys show that people who use public transport walk more than car users.

 

FINANCIAL ADVICE
Stave off requests for higher wages by offering advice to those facing financial problems. Work and money are the two main worries and therefore good mental health and wellbeing are definitely the business of the employer.

 

FLEXIBLE WORKING
Allowing people to work longer on certain days in order that they can finish early or start later on other days, perhaps to attend a live concert or take part in sporting event. It is also good to allow employees to leave early at short notice to deal with crises, otherwise they will only sit and worry about it all day anyway!

 

GOODY BAGS
To include cook books, fruit juices, pedometers, and vouchers for free gym use or maybe a cookbook showing how to make quick yet healthy weekday family meals.

 

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE WORKPLACE
Cost-effective only for the larger employers and may include a nurse and/or chiropractor.

 

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE
Our clients are regularly surprised how inexpensive such schemes actually cost.

 

PRIZE DRAWS
The winner gets………a new smoothie maker! 

 

SIESTAS
To combat the post-lunch drop in productivity.

 

SMOKING CESSATION CLINICS
Still popular over a year after the smoking ban, and statistics show that productivity among former smokers increases over time.

 

SUPPORT FROM LINE MANAGERS
Support from line managers-recognising that workloads may need to be allocated differently with appropriate channels available for concerns to be raised, demonstrating that subordinates are valued, and that an ongoing long hours culture can adversely affect health and happiness.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Get in touch with us today!

 

1. E-learning should be regarded as a change initiative; it should not be seen as a way of saving short-term costs. 2. E-learning has to be driven by training, not the technology.

Obtain a list from the organisers of people who will be at the event and outline two or three people that would be worth meeting. Do get there early-while it may sound obvious, getting to the event in good time increases your chances of getting something positive out of it. .

Fluid
Registered Office: 2 Abbey Court, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4SA  Tel: 0113 258 7335  Fax: 0113 258 3119
Mobile: 07751 536043  Email: tim@fluidconsultinglimited.com  Web: www.fluidconsultinglimited.com