Healthy living and working benefits business.
04/05/2006

66% of British adults are overweight or obese. This is a growing problem in the United Kingdom; in the last twenty years obesity levels have tripled. Weight problems can have far reaching implications. As those who are overweight are at increased risk of suffering from additional health problems, including heart disease, strokes and back or joint pain, employers should be aware that the increasing levels of obesity in the United Kingdom could have a major impact on their workforce and therefore their business.

Bill Duncan, partner of Fifth Dimension comments, "Being obese is not just a matter of how someone looks, it can have extensive effects in terms of their health and this in turn is likely to impact on employers. Bearing in mind the amount of time and money that employers invest in attracting and retaining employees they should consider what they can do to promote healthy living. Promoting healthy living could actually have a direct effect on the business bottom line; a healthy workforce is likely to be happier and therefore more motivated to work harder and produce better results."

Absence due to sickness is a growing concern for employers. According to the Health and Safety Executive, employee long term sickness absence costs UK businesses over £3.8 billion per year. Recent statistics released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) show that, on average, employees take 8.4 days off sick per year. According to the CIPD nine in ten organisations report that absence is a 'significant' or 'very significant' cost to the business. "It is possible that businesses could reduce this burden through the promotion of healthy living," says Bill

Employers who encourage their staff to be healthy could also see a benefit in terms of higher company morale. Bill continues, "A healthy focussed team is critical to the success of any organisation. It is in the employers' best interests to promote healthy living; morale tends to be higher when employees are healthy. In addition if employees see that their employer is investing in their health, perhaps through the provision of fruit for employees to eat whilst at work, morale likely to improve because the employee can see that the employer is contributing to their well being."

"It is also probable that initiatives introduced by employers with the primary aim of promoting healthy living would foster and encourage a positive relationship between the employees and the employer. This could have knock on benefits for employers in terms of staff retention; it stands to reason that if employees feel valued by their employer and are happy at work then they are less likely to consider changing jobs."

In March 2006 Fifth Dimension, entered into a joint venture with Optimise Your Assets and APS Training and Assessments to present a dynamic workshop aimed at promoting health and teamwork in the workplace. The workshop has been designed to assist the delegates in understanding teamwork as well as promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the connotations that this can have for the workplace. As well as focussing on teamwork the workshop also provide tips on communication, combating stress, and relaxation techniques as well as nutritional tips and tasters.


<< Back