Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace How Workplace Heath Initiatives Can Increase Performance and Reduce Business Costs
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The pace of working life is increasing. It’s now harder than ever for business professionals to find time to eat healthily and exercise regularly. This has serious implications for employers; with the body of research linking poor employee health to decreased productivity and absenteeism growing, more businesses than ever before are looking to improve the environment and eating habits of their employees. This report collates existing research into employee wellness, outlining the benefits of actively supporting healthy eating and physical activity in a workforce. It identifies potential barriers to this and how to overcome them, providing steps that can be taken to change workplace eating habits.
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climate Globally, workplace health (WPH) initiatives are growing in number, as employers become more aware of the potential upside of addressing employee wellness. It’s no longer enough for employers to provide basic health benefits to their workers; their role is being extended to actively encouraging healthy living.
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Well-being is gaining recognition as an important measure that relates both to the quality of life of individuals as well as to financial measures that are important to business and government leaders” - Carter Coberley, VP of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO)
super grain salad
With the number of hours employees spend in the workplace rising in the UK by as much as 15% since 2010, the challenges employees face to eat healthily and exercise regularly are mounting. By focusing attention on healthy living in and out of the office, companies are able to improve productivity rates, reduce healthcare and absenteeism costs, and increase employee retention. Ultimately, successful WPH initiatives can improve the profitability of an organisation. Therefore, those companies that fail to reflect on the costs of an increasingly unhealthy workforce when planning their allocation of resources are at risk of losing their competitive edge.
benefits Cost ReductioN The most fundamental argument in favour of committing to WPH initiatives is the substantial impact employee health has on business costs. A recent report conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) suggests that absenteeism now costs businesses on average ÂŁ554 per employee every year. Obesity alone is estimated to be the cause of 260,000 working days lost in a single year in the UK alone. Aside from the short-term costs of absenteeism, the long-term consequences of an unhealthy workforce can pose even greater strains on a business. Failing to offer a working environment that supports and encourages healthy living can have a lasting effect on employee retention and retirement due to ill health, both of which contribute to increasing costs of training new staff. For those companies that have neglected employee wellness up to this point, the upside of launching healthy living campaigns and forming committees dedicated to employee wellness can be enormous. The Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) who conducted a study into a broad spectrum of WPH initiatives found that commitment to such programmes can lead to a reduction in medical and absenteeism costs of between 25% and 30% during a 3 to 4 year period. 6 | Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace |
productivity The body of research naming poor health as a key driver of decreased productivity is growing, which only reinforces the business case for employers to provide a range of health management programs and incentives. A recent study published in the Population Health Management journal has shown that poor diet is linked with a 66% increased risk of loss of productivity. The study also indicated that infrequent exercise increases the likelihood of loss of productivity by 50%. It’s clear to see that from a performance and productivity perspective alone, the upside of tackling employee wellness can be incredibly significant.
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With the UK at the bottom of the G7 and near the bottom of the G20 countries on productivity per capita, the way we manage people and create cultures that enhance wellbeing are now bottomline issues.” -Professor Cary Cooper, CIPD President & Wellbeing Expert
A difficult topic for employers to address is how to encourage employees to eat healthily all day long, not just promoting healthy eating in the workplace. HERO found that those employees that manage to eat healthy all day long were 25% more likely to have increased work performance as a result.
Public Image Aside from the significant benefits that employee wellness can offer from the perspectives of cost reduction and performance improvement, promoting healthy living internally can also improve the public image of a company and employee satisfaction.
are able to use wellness initiatives to demonstrate how much they value the wellbeing of their employees. These kinds of programmes have been proven to lead to increased rates of retention, providing a useful indicator as to the value employees place on working for a company that actively encourages healthy living. Additionally, attracting the very best talent is often one of the key priorities of corporate Human Resources functions. Employers that understand the benefits of WPH initiatives can use this to their advantage, showcasing a highly appealing company culture to prospective candidates. Equally, with increasing pressure from government bodies on corporates to take employee wellness into consideration, those that fail to do so may be at risk of losing out in the employment market to more forward thinking competitors.
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With the amount of time that the average employee spends in the workplace being so high, employers have the opportunity to have a substantial impact on the eating habits of their workforce. Employers
People need to be given the opportunity to make healthy choices in the workplace in order to reduce their exposure to risk… Workplaces should make possible healthy food choices”
- World Health Organization. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health
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making change As research into workplace wellness grows and more companies launch their own programs, the advice available on what makes a successful campaign is becoming more comprehensive. There are a number of factors that are common to successful WPH initiatives that should be considered along the way.
planning
build a team
establish what you know
develop an action plan
Establish a team of diverse employees from a variety of departments within an organisation that can commit to the duration of the campaign. Different backgrounds and viewpoints will help to extend the reach of your wellness campaign.
Once a team has been formed, their first action should be to organise a focus group to understand what the company is already doing well to promote and encourage employee wellness. They must also determine what employees across the organisation would want to see implemented.
Creating an action plan with a clear structure that documents precisely what will be done, when and by whom is essential. In addition to a clear action plan, the employee wellness team should outline several KPIs to be used to track the performance of the campaign, and assign realistic targets for each of them.
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implementation
raise awareness Determining the most effective channels through which to communicate to all employees is an important first step towards raising awareness of a campaign. Gaining the support of managers is also a pivotal part of the process, as they will have the greatest impact on employees across the company.
education The most successful WPH initiatives are those that combine health education with developments in the physical and social working environment of a company.
environmental support Making changes to the workplace environment can contribute towards the effectiveness of healthy living initiatives by making it easier for employees to get involved. Simple adjustments such as making healthy food readily available, as well as integrating healthy living incentives through employee benefits programmes, can improve the success rate of several elements of a campaign.
monitoring and evaluating
tracking progress
celebrating success
employee feedback
Continuously tracking the progress of a given WPH initiative is imperative to the success of the campaign. The KPIs outlined by the dedicated employee wellness team should be regularly analysed as the project progresses.
Communicating specific achievements across the company is an effective way of increasing awareness of a healthy living campaign. Doing this also helps to justify allocating resources to WPH initiatives to senior management.
Aside from analysing pre-determined KPIs, another way to monitor the success of a WPH initiative is by regularly requesting feedback from engaged and non-engaged employees. Understanding why some individuals are reluctant to get involved can demonstrate what changes need to be made.
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Expert Advice from Gousto’s Head Nutritionist
Hi, I’m
Vicki!
People are often surprised to hear that they can spend up to 60% of their waking hours in a working environment. Companies have a brilliant opportunity to positively influence eating habits by increasing the accessibility of healthy foods in work canteens, and by increasing awareness of healthy eating and its crucial role in determining health. Increased awareness at work can positively influence the family environment and have even further reaching effects for other family members. Gousto supports a healthy lifestyle, encouraging nutritious, stress-free eating by making it easier to access fresh, perfectly-portioned ingredients to cook delicious meals from scratch. In fact, in a recent study we conducted in 2015, we found that our customers name ‘healthy eating’ as one of the key reasons for becoming repeat customers with
The Facts In recent decades, a variety of disruptive trends have caused significant changes in the way we approach and consume food, resulting in serious health consequences. The increasingly widespread use of refinement in food production to increase shelflife negatively impacts the nutritional value of the end-product and our body’s ability to feel full. The high consumption of ‘junk food’, physical inactivity, insufficient sun exposure and a reduction in the time spent sleeping, also add to the adverse effects. Research has shown that a healthy diet promotes weight management and reduces the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and unhealthy levels of cholesterol. In turn, this contributes to lowering the risk of many chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Individuals should focus on consuming the following on a daily basis: • a variety of fruits and vegetables (2 portions and 5-7 portions respectively); • some wholegrains such as brown rice, quinoa and oats; • moderate protein from lean meats, poultry, fish and legumes; • some healthy fats, from avocados, nuts, seeds, oils & butter; and • small amounts of dairy products, salt and sugar. 10 | Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace |
top 10 tips Relax at Lunch Take the time to relax during lunch. Many people eat without leaving their desk and often continue to work throughout their lunch. However, taking a break will make you feel refreshed and you’ll likely be less stressed and more productive!
Sleep Well Try to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night! Stress and lack of sleep go hand in hand. If you’re stressed you’ll find it difficult to get quality sleep, which increases the risk of a variety of health conditions such as low-grade chronic inflammation, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Limit Sugary Foods It’s important to control the amount of sugar and sweeteners in your diet. Sweet foods trigger a range of hormonal and metabolic responses in preparation for a rise in blood sugar. This results in a heightened perceived pleasantness of sweet foods and a general increase in food intake.
Portion Control Always practise portion control. Amelia Freer, a nutritional therapist and author, offers a great reminder that “your stomach is the size of your relaxed fist, that’s the only amount of food you need on your plate and you only need it three times a day”.
Keep a Varied Diet Keeping your diet varied is incredibly important. Try to make your meals predominantly plant-based, at least half of your grain products wholegrain each day, and eat meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.
Eat Fish It can be difficult to consume a sufficient amount of omega-3 fats in a Western diet, which are essential for brain function and heart health. These can be found in fish – particularly SMASH (Sardines, Mackerel, Anchovies, Salmon and Herring) – and it’s advised to eat at least two servings of these each week.
Be Active Getting into a routine of using your lunch break for a quick walk, even if it’s only short, is a great way of staying active every day. Walking can help to stimulate digestion and if you can get a little mood-boosting sunshine in too, even better.
Store Healthy Snacks Keep healthy snacks in your drawers at work or at your desk – it can be very tempting to reach for a sugary afternoon pick-me-up. Not only does snacking on processed foods wreak havoc with blood sugar levels, but they also tend to leave you craving more. Fresh fruit, oat or rice cakes, and raw nuts are great alternatives!
Reduce Stimulants Becoming reliant on stimulants such as coffee or tea is easily done. Try not to exceed more than 1 or 2 cups in a day; drink water instead, or herbal teas such as peppermint and ginger.
Keep Hydrated If you feel thirsty then you may already be dehydrated. Always keep a large glass by your desk or carry a bottle of water with you. If you tend to feel sluggish towards the end of the day, this may be a sign of dehydration which can also cause headaches and fatigue, so be sure to refill your glass as soon as it’s empty!
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sweet chili salmon and sesame pak choi
To find out more about Gousto and how our recipe-kits can be integrated into new or preexisting workplace health initiatives, please contact our Head of Corporate Partnerships: Tom Lansdowne. Office: +44 (0)20 3011 5195 Email: tom.l@gousto.co.uk Unit 2 Issigonis House, Cowley Road, London, W3 7UN www.gousto.co.uk
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