1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 
WHY EMPLOYERS SHOULD CARE III - health, absenteeism and sick pay cost
Page 64
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
UK employers very dearly, The direct costs include statutory sick pay, the cost of replacement staff and loss of output. The direct cost of absence to the UK economy in 2004 was estimated at £12.2bn, Hidden costs are harder to quantify but include poor morale and lower productivity through stress. In transport there are also the financial and social risks of putting a man with incipient heart disease behind the wheel of a 44-tonne truck.
Many companies in this country are busy proving that being actively involved in their workers health pays huge dividends, financially and in terms of corporate morale. Barcelforce, for example, recently undertook a huge weight-loss and health program with its workforce, handing out mini manuals about body maintenance.
Banks says the results were not just in improved health: "There's a distinct correlation between high stress and low productivity. We found that as men's health improved their stress levels lowered and their productivity went up."
Royal Mail had a similarly positive experience in its health program with 300,000 men. "By addressing health, the company improved the relationship between management and staff —the workforce saw that there was a genuine concern for their health and that it wasn't just a cynical business exercise," Banks reports.
BT has found similar benefits in focusing on health at work. Last September it launched an interactive web-based weight-loss program for its workforce. Of the 16,000 who originally signed up 4,700 continued and between them lost a little over 10 tonnes. The company is so encouraged by its success that it is now starting an eight-week smoking cessation program called Workf it2, again on the web.