Ensuring a Healthy and Productive Workforce
Article contributed by Sam Fuller from Wellbeing for Work
How can companies ensure an engaged and healthy productive workforce in the future and save themselves millions of pounds in lost revenue and staff health costs? Now that we are teetering on the edge of a world recession the pressure is on companies to provide more competitive products and services. But how is this possible if our workforce is reduced and suffering from financial stress and increased pressure at work? In order to survive and knock spots off our competitors we need an engaged, motivated and energised workforce.
Dame Carol Black’s review (www.workingforhealth.gov.uk) in Feb 08 – ‘Working for a Healthier Tomorrow’ recognised 55 case studies providing company wellbeing services that showed measurable and proven benefits at work. Price Waterhouse Coopers were commissioned to review these case studies with an objective to accurately measure the return on investment that these companies experienced within their bottom line. Price Waterhouse writes “Programme costs can quickly be translated into financial benefits, either through cost savings or additional revenue generation, as a consequence of the improvements in a wide range of intermediate business measures”.
The key challenges for most companies are how to address stress management, energising a sluggish and de-motivated workforce and maintaining their employees’ physical fitness and health. As we demand more from our staff in economically challenged times we have to nurture their health, minds and energy levels in order for them to have the stamina we must insist our company delivers. Sensible and practical support is the essential foundation for this outcome along with an agenda to build on and maintain the momentum of these healthier lifestyles.
Wellbeing for Work has 3 best selling programmes that promote employees physical and mental fitness, whilst providing you the employer a return on investment:
1. Minimise Your Company’s Stress …. Maximise your Company’s Productivity
This programme enables participants to learn, practice and develop expertise in managing optimum mental states and, in particular, to effectively reduce levels of stress at work and home. It shows them how to select the food and drinks that promote sustainable energy levels and greatly reduce stress to the body Stress is a key contributor in poor quality thinking and poor decision making. It is also one of the highest causes of staff absenteeism and long term illness in the UK.
2. Energise and Nourish Your Valuable Talent
Participants will learn how to build sustainable energy to promote enthusiasm, motivation and engagement on a day to day basis at work and home. They will learn how to select high energy foods to refuel and promote optimum health and vitality. Employees will identify the foods that will support their immunity and protect them from the epidemics of colds and flu that sweep the office most winters. They will recognise the key components and importance of energy renewal which is crucial for building stamina and longevity for talented individuals.
3. Fit For Work
Fast track your organisation’s performance by providing a range of practical solutions to help protect employees from musculoskeletal disorders, back pain and RSI. Develop a healthy approach to physical fitness and stamina to ensure they are fit and effective for work.
It is often difficult to recognise deterioration in the wellbeing of your staff. Do you know the signs to look out for and when it is time to intervene by re-motivating and energising your staff and colleagues?
Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the following questions:
1. Do some of your staff arrive late for work, seem to make less effort about the way they look and sometimes leave work early?
2. Are some staff taking time off work due to ill health or daily stresses and strains?
3. Do your staff look tired, de-motivated and disinterested in their work and their colleagues?
4. Do your staff seemed chained to their desks and rarely take a break for lunch away from their desks?
5. Have you noticed that many of your staff drink lots of coffee or tea and snack on chocolate, biscuits or cakes at regular intervals during the day?
6. Do some of your staff spend a lot of time moaning to each other and find it difficult to settle down to doing some work?
If you answered ‘Yes” to 2 or more of these questions, you are looking at some ‘toxic’ behaviours which can damage the productivity of other staff but also the future of your business.
Call Sam Fuller for a free ‘Health Check’ for your staff and your business and a great plan for keeping them both on track in good times and perhaps some difficult times too!
Email: sam@wellbeingforwork.co.uk
Website: www.wellbeingforwork.co.uk
Tel: 0845 0037633