Employee Wellbeing – focus on presenteeism

Employee Wellbeing – focus on presenteeism

Have you heard the saying 'the lights are on but no one is home'? There could be a genuine reason for employees turning up for work but not being fully engaged and underperforming as a result. With longer working hours, higher performance targets and the threat of potential job losses staff are more conscious of calling in sick than ever before. With the recent news that sickness absence in the UK has reduced it may give cause for celebration but in reality presenteeism (employees being at work but not being fully engaged and underperforming as a result) is costing the UK economy more per annum than absenteeism ¹ but it is often ignored by employers.

So the key question is what action can you take to reduce the negative effects of absenteeism and presenteeism in your organisation?

By addressing the health and wellbeing needs of your staff and creating a positive working environment you will not only see a reduction in sickness levels but you will also create a more productive and engaged workforce. Organisations who take a proactive approach to employee health and wellbeing report up to a 3% return on their investment².

Before implementing any health and wellbeing initiative you need to understand what your objectives for investing are, these could include reduced absence, reduced presenteeism, reduced staff turnover or increased productivity. Below are a few tips to get you started:

· Start analysiing data from within the business; look for absence trends such as high levels of musculoskeletal issues with manual workers, high levels of stress with customer facing staff or other illness such as high cancer and diabetes rates. By building a picture of you business and its needs you can develop a health and wellbeing programme that will address both the business needs but also the needs of the staff.

· Establish the true cost of sickness absence (and other related issues) to your business by using the health, work and wellbeing tool

· . As well as calculating the associated costs you can compare your organisation to those in similar sectors and gain ideas to improve overall health and wellbeing.

· Ask staff if they feel their health and wellbeing needs are being met - you could include a few questions in the annual staff survey or review. It is good practice to ask what staff like about your current offering and what they would change if they could. By seeking employee feedback at an early stage they are more likely to participate in future activities.

· Set up a health and wellbeing working group that looks at ways to implement the health and wellbeing initiative on a practical level. The geographical split of staff may make it more difficult to have a standardised programme or you could have a limited budget and want to look at ways to ensure the biggest impact on the business is achieved. Invite staff from all levels of the business including management as without their buy in the programme is likely to fail!

· Communicate your planned activities at an early to engage staff and to ensure the programme is success.

Workplace wellbeing does not have to be costly, there are simple in house changes you can make that will enhance the working environment for your employees and help you become an employer of choice. My top 5 low cost tips are:

· Set up a health and wellbeing notice board/intranet site and update it regularly with a topic of the month such as healthy eating or physical activity.

· Start a lunchtime walking/running group.

· Have a subsidised fruit basket for employees to encourage healthy eating.

· Put a small space aside for relaxation at break times – include music and soft lighting to help reduce stress and tension.

· Where possible offer flexible working - it will reduce the risk of staff taking a sick day for a 15-minute doctor appointment!

There is lots of free guidance available to business including British Heart Foundation health at work site, BITC with the workwell model and health work and wellbeing with the free Occupational Health Advice Line. For other charities that can help with workplace health and wellbeing visit http://www.mwwellbeing.co.uk/Submit-a-Web-Link/Useful-websites/

To learn more about the benefits of employee health and wellbeing visit our website: www.mwwellbeing.co.uk or call us on 01562 634926

1 Centre for Mental Health calculated that presenteeism from mental ill health alone costs the UK economy £15.1 billion per annum, while absenteeism costs £8.4 billion

2 Nice report PH22 – promoting mental wellbeing at work

Physical Activity

Physical Activity

Welcome to the third of a series of fact sheets aimed at raising awareness on health and wellbeing issues. In this blog we highlight the benefits of incorporating Physical Activity into your daily life and offer some suggestions on how to do this.

What is physical activity?

Physical activity is any activity that helps you to improve or maintain your physical fitness as well as your health in general. Activities could be as simple as doing the housework or walking to the shops.

Why exercise?

Regular physical activity has a number of benefits for your health such as:

· Reduces the risk of developing of coronary heart disease and possibly stroke

· Lowers blood pressure

· Increases good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL)

· Reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

· Strengthens bones and reduces risk of osteoporosis

· Lessens stress and anxiety

· Maintains a healthy weight and reduces body fat

· Increases muscles strength and joint flexibility

Overall, people who do the recommended levels of physical activity can reduce their risk of premature death by 20-30%.

Different types of exercise

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic activities are any activity that makes your heart and lungs work harder. This could include: dancing, walking, cycling, playing football, rugby, badminton or tennis, swimming, jogging or running, doing the garden or housework, taking the stairs instead of the lift. The government recommends at least 30 minutes per day on at least 5 days of the week. You do not have to do all 30 minutes at once it can be broken down into 3 x 10 minutes and will have the same benefits as long as your heart and lungs are working harder(increased heart rate).

Muscle-strengthening activities

Muscle strengthening activities help build or maintain muscles and help to improve your flexibility and balance. This could include: climbing stairs, walking uphill, lifting or carrying shopping, digging the garden, weight training, pilates, yoga or similar resistance exercises that use the major muscle groups. You should aim to do these activities twice a week in addition to your aerobic exercise and on alternate days.

Guidelines for starting an exercise programme

· If you are new to physical activity or have not been active for along time it is advisable to speak to your GP before beginning a new programme

· Start an activity you like doing and that can easily be built into your daily routine – this way you are more likely to succeed

· If you don’t like the thought of exercising on your own make it a social affair and ask a friend along

· Start slowly and gradually build up, if you feel you can do more then do so but don’t rush in

· If you feel chest pain or shortness of breath, stop and rest for a while

· Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water

Take small steps

By following these simple steps and building activity into your daily life you will feel much healthier and save money in the process:

· Walk to work (at least 1 day a week if possible)

· Take your bike instead of the car

· Get off the bus or train a stop earlier

· Park the car further away from the office

· Clean the windows instead of hiring a window cleaner

· Start cleaning the car at home rather than going to the carwash

It is recommended you seek medical advice before starting any new exercise programme. For further information on increasing your physical activity please visit:

www.nhs.uk/change4life
www.keepfit.org.uk
www.whi.org.uk

I hope you have found this blog useful. To see our other fact sheets on Health and Wellbeing please visit our website

Wishing you health and happiness

Renée