HOW MUCH IS ILL-HEALTH COSTING YOUR BUSINESS?
£554
is the cost per employee per year sickness absence.
Source: CIPD Absence Survey 2015
6.9 days
Average level of employee absence per employee
Source: CIPD Absence Survey 2015
Source: XpertHR sickness absence rates survey 2015
6 Simple steps to improve wellbeing on a budget and decrease ill-health
1. Get Active to improve ill-health: 30 minutes of brisk walking over five days not only can reduce your stress, but according to research from Oregon State University, 2011, it can help you sleep more easily and improve the overall quality of sleep. Most of us walk 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day while the daily target is 10,000. Encourage a walking lunch club or a walking challenge. Apps such as Fitbit and Walking World help track your steps and encourage those involved to meet their daily target.
2. Promote Health Eating: The 5 A DAY campaign recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Consider supplying fresh fruit to help your people increase their intake Employees with poor nutrition can be 15% less productive than those with better nutrition, equating to 16 days of lost time per employee per year, according to Workforce Wellbeing.
3. Good Posture: More working days were lost to musculoskeletal problems like back or neck pain than any other cause. National Office for Statistics UK, Feb 2016. Sitting at a desk staring at a computer for hours on end can put strain on your back and eyes. Organising an Ergonomic assessment and posture advice will show your commitment to your peoples’ wellbeing and improve productivity.
4. Health Checks: Acute medical conditions (for example stroke, heart attack and cancer) are the most common causes of long term absence. CIPD Absence Survey 2015. Prevention is better than cure, so offer health checks to assess any risks and sign post for help. These can be undertaken through charities such as Chest, Heart and Stroke.
5. Smoking Cessation: Smoking causes one third of all cancer deaths in Northern Ireland and is our greatest cause of preventable ill health, Cancer Focus, Keeping Well. Help your people to give up smoking by providing an on-site, workplace smoking cessation programme with organisations such as Cancer Focus to make access to a range of support more accessible and reduce disruption to the working day.
6. Reduce Caffeine: Research has shown that large quantities of caffeine can raise blood pressure, stimulate the heart, and produce rapid shallow breathing, depriving the brain of the oxygen needed to keep your thinking calm and rational and even lower your Emotional Intelligence according to an article in Forbes, 2012. Provide a selection of herbal teas and drinking water to help your people reduce their intake of caffeine to improve overall wellness.