Employees’ poor health is costing businesses billions every year

Employees are costing their employers billions is sick days and lost productivity because of their unhealthy lifestyles. A recent study commissioned by Bupa focused on employees who smoke, drink excessively or are obese and concluded they are responsible for a £3bn loss across industries in the UK every year.

Smokers are more likely than other employees to take time off for back pain, cancer and circulatory problems. Obese employees are more likely to take time off for heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. Those who drink excessively are more likely to take time off for depression, stress, flu, colds, and circulatory problems.

The report, which was compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, found that if employees changed their lifestyles, employers would save £1.8bn a year in sick pay paid out for alcohol-abuse illnesses and £51m a year for smoking-related sick days.

In addition, the report stated that £490m per year could be saved by 2025 in obesity-related conditions.

So how can employers encourage employees to make the lifestyle changes necessary to make these savings? Well, there are several tried and tested ways of promoting a healthier lifestyle within the workplace.

Firstly, employers can set up sports groups. Encouraging employees to participate in organised sports after work or on the weekends not only promotes exercise but can also increase morale and productivity in the workplace. Many cities have amateur leagues, for cricket and football for example, that are not expensive for work groups to join.

In addition, organising a sporting event for charity is a great way to promote a healthier lifestyle. A good example is by encouraging employees to run half or full marathons, such as the London Marathon. This encourages a long-term attitude change by the employees towards their health.

Another way of encouraging a healthy lifestyle is to subsidise gym membership or membership to other sporting groups. This gives employees a great incentive to sign up and get into the habit of exercising regularly.

Employees who work in offices are at particular risk from the health consequences of remaining sedentary for a long period of time. Employers should encourage them to get out on lunch breaks and take regular breaks from their desks.

If an employer provides any food for employees, such as lunch or snacks, they should ensure that employees have healthy options to choose.

Employers should also bear in mind that if they fail to protect employees’ health in the workplace, they can face personal injury claims. For example, if employees are prevented from taking regular breaks away from their desks, or if their claims of stress are not taken seriously by management, and they develop health issues because of this, they may be able to claim compensation.

Employers are advised to have health policies in place and keep a particular eye on the general health and fitness of their employees. This will, in the long run, reduce the amount lost through sick pay and decreased productivity that results from a sickly workforce.

Job Justice can put employers in touch with specialist employment solicitors in order to discuss this issue further.