Workplace health network

The workplace offers a significant potential setting to promote healthy lifestyles as over half of the UK population are in employment and it is estimated that individuals may spend up to 60% of their waking hours in their place of work. Sickness absence costs UK employers £11.6 billion a year, and long term sick leave is on the increase. A quarter of the UK population smoke, one fifth are obese and one fifth report suffering from stress at work.

The White Paper, Choosing Health (2004), places emphasis on the work environment as a key influence on our health choices and a force for improving health. It outlines the need to:

Develop New Deal to help more people to enter into and remain in employment
Promote recruitment and retention of older workers as part of an age diverse workforce
Take action on employment of people with mental health problems to reduce those currently on benefits
Help the long term sick back to work

Although being in work generally leads to better health, not all workplaces are healthy. Stress related conditions and musculoskeletal disorders are now the most common reported causes of work-related sickness absence. Focus on individual stress can be counter-productive, organisations need to ensure that they adopt approaches that support the overall health and well-being of their employees. For many people the work environment constrains the choices available and makes it difficult to choose health. Many employers recognise that they have a direct interest in creating an environment that helps people make healthy choices, because of corporate social responsibility or because a healthier workforce makes good business sense. A motivated healthy workforce is more likely to perform well. Employers and employees benefit through improved morale, reduced absenteeism, increased retention and improved productivity.

Employers can take simple steps to promote the health of their workforce by:

Implementing tax efficient bike purchase schemes to promote physical activity
Encouraging staff to use the stairs
Promoting physical activity through the provision of pedometers
Provision of cycle racks and shower facilities to encourage cycling to work
Providing healthy corporate buffets
Offering fruit instead of biscuits in meetings
Providing healthier options in the canteen and vending machines
Creating smoke free work environments
Providing support for smoking cessation

Sections

>	Workplace Wellness East Midlands
>	Health and safety at work
>	Occupational health

Resources

>	Investment for Health website
>	Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier white paper
>	Health, work and well-being — caring for our future
>	Improving Working Lives