health in the workplace - uk report
TRANSCRIPT
Health in the Workplace: A study into rewards at work and
employee wellbeingUK Report
Produced by One4all
2015
www.one4allrewards.co.uk
INTRODUCTION
With 80% of white collar workers clocking up more than 40 hours each week* and technology meaning that work is encroaching more and more in to personal leisure time, taking care of employee wellbeing is becoming an increasing priority for many businesses.
Employee wellbeing can be key to increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism and also retaining and attracting the best workers.
At One4all Rewards we work with organisations to develop programmes that incentivise desirable behaviour. This isn’t about encouraging people to work around the clock, but incentivising greater productivity.
For this report we have commissioned research across a sample of 2004 UK full and part-time workers aged 18+**, looking at how employees feel about issues to do with their wellbeing and productivity. It offers useful insights that will help your organisation become a healthier and more productive place to work, and demonstrate the value improving employee wellbeing can have.
Declan Byrne,Managing Director, One4all Rewards
*Robert Walters Career Lifestyle survey, May 2013
**Survey conducted for One4all Rewards by Atomik Research in May 2015
The relationship between health and productivity in the workplace is being ignored by the majority of employers
Currently almost of a quarter (23%) of the UK workforce admits that they are under-performing due to poor health and wellbeing.
Many (22%) estimate that improving this aspect of their lives would improve their productivity at work by more than 10%.
Sadly, the majority of employers are doing nothing to tackle this problem, with 54% of workplaces in the UK having no active schemes to help staff live healthier or more balanced lives.
Some groups seem more at risk than others, with workers in London especially re-porting that their productivity is adversely affected by health and wellbeing issues (33% compared to the national average of 23%).
People in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties (those more likely to be working in junior positions) also reported higher likelihoods of lost productivity (30%).
Finally, the business sector most likely to be adversely affected by poor health and wellbeing is IT, PR and Marketing, with 37% reporting reduced productivity as a result of poor health or stress.
How is work currently impacting on the health of employees?
For many employees their workplace has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
11% of workers in the past year report becoming ill as a direct result of their work.
Twice that number (22%) say that their work is a cause of them regularly feeling high degrees of stress.
17% admit that they sometimes do not sleep as a result of work pressures.
Only 6% of workers said that their work actually had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.
The British stiff upper lip soldiers on
Despite many workers not feeling on top of their game, this isn’t translating into a ‘sicknote’ culture.
Over 40% of employees haven’t taken a single day off work due to illness in the past year and only 14% admit to throwing a ‘sickie’ in this time.
While seemingly good news, this can also mean that absenteeism isn’t an effective way for employers to measure the true state of staff health and wellbeing.
48% of employees have gone into work despite being ill at least once in the past 12 months– suggesting the British stiff upper lip is going strong even when the work-force is not.
In part, it also seems that employers are encouraging this culture of presenteeism – a belief that being at your desk is more important than being well – with 28% of people saying that they feel under pressure from bosses to go into work even when they are ill.
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
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100
0
Perc
enta
ge
14.77
48.15
In the past year I’ve pulled a sickie when I was really well enough to go
to work
In the past year I’ve gone into work even
though I was sick
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Perc
enta
ge
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
40.97
10.03 12.33 9.78 7.585.24 2.50 2.05 0.95
8.58
Number of ‘Sick Days’ Taken in the last 12 months
The ‘always on’ British business culture
Employee attendance
The ‘always on’ British business culture
Work is also encroaching on lunch beaks, holidays and free time, preventing employees from being able to properly relax and get away from the pressures of the day.
Only 35% of UK workers say that they regularly leave their desks at lunchtimes. With just under a quarter (23%) saying that they regularly work through lunch.
In 19% of workplaces it is common practice for employees to answer emails and carry out work while they are meant to be on holiday.
And only in very few workplaces (17%) did people say that it was easy to switch off and forget work at the end of the day.
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30
40
50
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Perc
enta
ge
19.21 17.66
In my place of work, people work a lot
on emails and other work related items even when they are
on holidays
In my place of work, people switch off when they have finished work
24.90 23.35
35.43
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30
40
50
60
70
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90
100
Perc
enta
ge
At lunchtime I rarely get away from the desk
I regularly work through lunch without any extra pay
At lunchtime I mostly get away from the desk
The ‘always on’ British business culture
Working lunchSwitching off
Why introduce a company health scheme?
Company health schemes come in all shapes and sizes, but crucially they all send an important message to staff that their employer genuinely cares about staff health and wellbeing.
As a result, such schemes can be a powerful tool for keeping and attracting the best workers.
64% of people taking part in the survey said that knowing their employer cared about their health would mean that they would be more likely to remain with that company.
In terms of attracting staff, a good work life balance was a major factor for just under a third (32%) of candidates when choosing a new job (second only to better pay and benefits).
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Perc
enta
ge
Stronglyagree
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100
Perc
enta
ge
Feel morevalued
Be less likely to accept a jobelsewhere
Be happier to work longer
hours
25.40
39.42
33.18
1.25 0.75
Agree Neitheragreenor
Disagree
Disagree StronglyDisagree
50.10
23.0017.96
“I would be more likely to stay at a company that cares about my health.”
“If my company offered wellness or health schemes
it would make me...”
Why introduce a company health scheme?
How are workplace health and wellbeing schemes perceived by staff?
Employees are keen for companies to do more to support healthier lifestyles.
26% of employees believe there should be financial incentives offered by companies to encourage them to stay fit and healthy.
More than half (56%) of workers would like to see employers offering advice and information on health-related subjects.
Specifically, 37% would like to see employers provide exercise information to encourage healthier lifestyles, while 26% would like companies to offer help to quit smoking.
23% would welcome weight loss advice from the businesses they work for. 7% even admitted that they would like to see employers provide advice on matters related to sexual health.
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100
23.25
37.18
26.40
7.19
Weightloss
advice
ExerciseInfo
Help toquit
smoking
Sexualhealthadvice
What types of schemes would be welcomed by employees?Pe
rcen
tage
What kinds of health and wellbeing schemes are British companies currently offering?
Workers at one in five companies in the UK (20%) believe that their employer makes their health and wellbeing a top priority.
And in 45% of workplaces there is some form health and wellness scheme in place. The most common schemes are free or subsidised gym membership (18%) or health insurance (16%). Other schemes include free fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks (11%) vaccination services, e.g. flu jabs (10%), smoking cessation programmes (7%) and weight loss schemes (5%).
Such programmes are most common in Information and Communications (IT, PR and Marketing) and manufacturing businesses. They are least common in the education sector.
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Free / Subsidised gym membership
Percentage
Free / Subsidised health insurance
Free fruit, vegetables and health snacks
Vaccination services (e.g. flu jabs)
Fitness classes
Quitting smoking programmes
A mental health / duvet day
Weight loss schemes
What kinds of health and wellbeing schemes are British companies offering?
17.76
16.12
11.48
10.38
7.58
6.89
5.99
4.79
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Financial services (e.g. banking etc.)
Percentage
Retail
Healthcare
Administrative and support services
Professional services (e.g. law etc.)
Local or National Government
Leisure and Travel (e.g. restaurants etc.)
Education
Which industries are offering health and wellbeing schemes
61.06
57.06
53.02
52.07
51.07
51.04
43.03
38.05
62.01
63.00
68.04
68.05
75.09Information & Communications
Manufacturing
Utilities
Transportation
Trades (e.g. construction, plumbing etc.)
What else can employers do?
Taking an active role in employee health and wellbeing does not only mean implementing a special scheme - making healthier choices about work social events and the facilities in the working environment can also make a significant difference.
For example, 18% of workplaces have canteens or vending machines that only offer ‘unhealthy’ meals and snacks.
Many companies can also be said to promote an after hours drinking culture. 21% of employers only have social nights that centre around alcohol.
Making changes to these areas will also contribute to healthier workplaces.
Where possible, encouraging healthy commuting can also promote fitness as well as being more environmentally friendly.
12% of workplaces were reported to be making use of the Government-subsidised Cycle to Work scheme and a further 12% were encouraging cycling by providing facilities such as secure bike storage areas.
Conclusion
These findings clearly show that, while it is still the minority of UK companies who are offering health and wellbeing schemes – or even demonstrate that employee health is a top priority – those that do can reap significant rewards in terms of greater productivity and staff recruitment and retention.
Offering these types of benefits not only makes companies more desirable places to work, but can also mean that staff work more efficiently, take less time off and are more loyal.
This study clearly shows that staff actively welcome employers offering such schemes and greatly value the support they provide. Also appreciated is the message they send about the importance employers placed on staff health and wellbeing.