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Introduction The Healthy Workforce Initiative exists to support you as an employer to help improve the health and wellbeing of your workforce. With our guidance you can create a happy and reliable workplace that thrives on a mutual employee/ employer relationship founded on care and respect. Improving the health of your workforce has many economic benefits for the business, reducing costs and ensuring job longevity for you and your employees. Workplace wellbeing is a growing area of concern for businesses and one that many organisations are beginning to act upon to ensure that their businesses, literally, stay fighting fit in the current economic climate. With an aging working population and increased pressure being applied to most businesses and workforces, employee health and wellbeing has never been so pertinent. Minor illnesses (such as colds, flu, stomach upsets, headaches and migraines) are by far the most common cause of short-term absence, followed by musculoskeletal injuries, back pain and stress. The most common causes of longterm absence are acute medical conditions (for example stroke, heart attacks and cancer), stress, mental ill-health and musculoskeletal injuries*. These acute medical conditions are particularly prevalent in the Rochdale Borough area with most premature mortality attributable to cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory related conditions.**
With workplace absences being increasingly related to these long term illnesses, more emphasis is being put on implementing long term preventative health strategies to reduce individual risk. All of these conditions are affected by unhealthy lifestyle choices and the Healthy Workforce Initiative is well equipped to tackle and facilitate health behaviour change related to these. The Healthy Workforce Initiative can implement health interventions to support employees to improve behaviours such as physical activity, healthy eating and smoking cessation. Alongside workplace health assessments and advice we can ensure a thorough, bespoke and therefore effective service for you and your workforce. This brochure contains details of the range of services available to you as a Rochdale Borough business, and the benefits that can be experienced to enable you to decide on the best Healthy Workforce Initiative for your business and your employees.
* CIPD absence management report, 2013 ** Rochdale Health & Wellbeing Board, 2012
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Costs of Employee Ill-Health to your Business Short Term Costs
Long Term Impacts
The short term financial costs to your business could be great, ‘The annual median cost of absence was £595 and averaged at 7.6 days lost per employee for 2013 in the UK,’ (CIPD, 2013) covering such things as
There are also many long term impacts to business that you should consider beyond absenteeism alone
• Sick pay • Provision of cover • Reduced productivity
Business Benefits of good Employee Health and Wellbeing There are many benefits to your business from having a healthy, happy workforce. ‘You need an educated, healthy workforce to sustain economic development’ (Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winning Economist, 2013) Increased mental wellbeing Improved employee engagement Increased physical health & capability Confident & dedicated workforce
Increased work performance
• High employee turnover
(loss of experience & skill) • Reduced quality of work output • Recruitment costs • Time taken to train new/ loaned staff • Increased workload and stress for colleagues • Increased presenteeism (the presence of employees at work who are too ill to be there) ‘It is estimated that presenteeism accounts for 1.5 times more working time lost than absenteeism.’ (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 2007) Increased productivity
Benefits of a Healthy Workforce Increased team cohesion
Loyalty and advocacy
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Reduced financial costs to business Retention of employees and talent Improved employer/ employee relationship Increased team morale
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How can we support you Active Lifestyle Physical Activity & Fitness Sessions
Back Care Programme
Signing up to the Healthy Workforce initiative can provide your employees with discounted physical activity sessions. These sessions can take place at local leisure centres and workplaces before, during or after work times.
Musculoskeletal conditions are a common reason for long-term sickness absence in many workplaces. The delivery of a programme using yoga techniques has shown many positive outcomes including increased mobility, reduction or elimination of pain, and therefore medication, and reported dramatic improvements in quality of life.
Additional sessions can be set up on demand with the potential to fit in with different shift patterns.
Active transport Promoting sustainable commuting and active travel at your workplace benefits both the environment and the wellbeing of your employees. Support can be provided for car sharing, bike loans, grants for cycle storage at the workplace, along with beginners or refresher cycle training from Transport for Greater Manchester.
We can provide 6-week courses, delivered in the workplace, which target employees with existing long-term conditions or intermittent back pain. This aims to ease muscle tension, improve flexibility and assist in managing their condition on a day-to-day basis.
Fitness Membership Link4Life manages state-of-the art fitness facilities at 4 centres with access to over 200 weekly fitness classes and 6 swimming pools as well as sauna and steam rooms, indoor climbing and more. With corporate membership, your employees would be eligible for approximately 20% discount on monthly membership, giving peak time access to all 4 centres.
healthy.workforce@link4life.org • www.link4life.org
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How can we support you Health Health Checks
Weight Management & Healthy Eating
Enable your employees to discover more about their health without having to take time off to see a doctor.
One in four UK adults are obese and it is recognised that this has a significant cost implication to UK businesses due to increased sickness absence and presenteeism. Helping your employees to maintain a healthy weight can improve self-esteem and confidence, increase energy levels and reduce the risk of ill health and associated musculoskeletal conditions.
We can provide 20-minute health checks which can include the following: • • • • • •
Body Mass Index (height to weight ratio) Blood Pressure Cholesterol testing Diet & nutrition advice Signposting to appropriate services Help to quit smoking
Individual results will remain confidential, but we are able to provide managers with an overall summary of the health of the workforce. Regular re-testing will also enable your organisation to monitor trends in workforce health.
Emotional Wellbeing
Health Promotion Days Would you like to hold a health day for your staff at your workplace? We can plan, organise and deliver a multi-agency health day to include any of the following activities and information sessions: • • • • • • • • • •
Based in the workplace, weight management courses run over a 6-8 week period and include: • Weekly weight monitoring • Information, resources and guidance on diet, nutrition and exercise • Food Diary analysis • Individual weight loss support • Support for onsite caterers to provide healthy, well-balanced menu options.
Health Checks Healthy Eating and cooking demonstrations Living smoke free Healthy Mind/emotional wellbeing Alcohol Awareness Stress Management Physical Activity taster sessions Exercise & Relaxation Techniques Oral Health Sexual Health
Promoting mental health as well as physical health is imperative to your workforce and there are a number of ways we can support both managers and employees, including ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ and other initiatives through our partners at Mind and Pennine Care Trust. The Five Ways to Wellbeing are simple evidence based actions that can be incorporated into everyday life to help manage and improve wellbeing. These are: Connect, Be active, Take notice, Give, Keep learning. Organisations can sign up to this as a blueprint for engaging with employees.
The Workplace Wellbeing Charter The Healthy Workforce team can support your organisation achieve accreditation through The Workplace Wellbeing Charter. Many of our Healthy Workforce services can contribute to you meeting the self-assessment standards including the development of health and wellbeing related policies as the backbone of your health initiatives.
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Our Partners Our partner organisations include: • • • • • • • • • • •
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council NHS Pennine Care Trust NHS Pennine Acute Trust Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Big Life Public Protection Healthy Weight Team Public Health North West Workplace Wellbeing Charter Rochdale and District Mind Physical Yoga
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Next Steps Our Healthy Workforce team are available to support your workplace health initiatives. To find out more about how the Healthy Workforce programme can support your organisation, please use the contact details below; Post: Link4Life Healthy Workforce P O Box 428 Number One Riverside Smith Street Rochdale OL16 1ZL Online: Register online at www.link4life.org/healthyworkforce www.rochdale.gov.uk/wellbeing
Email: healthy.workforce@link4life.org
Please include your contact details and any particular area of interest
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