In 2024, poor health at work was responsible for £138 billion loss to the UK economy (Vitality, 2024), and this figure is rising year on year.
The average employee absence rose to 7.8 days per employee, or 3.4% of working time lost. This is the highest level reported for over a decade, and marks a considerable increase compared with the low levels of absence reported pre-pandemic. While there remains considerable variation between organisations, over a quarter (27%) report an average absence level of 10 days or more – nearly twice as many as in 2020 (CIPD, 2023). Alongside formal absence, many working hours are lost due to employees not working effectively because of ill-health. On average, employees lose nearly one day per week (43.6 days annually) as a result of mental and physical health issues such as musculoskeletal conditions, depression, and poor sleep quality (Vitality, 2023).
Research has shown that various health conditions and related risk factors significantly impact workplace productivity, highlighting the importance for businesses to provide better employee support. Mental health issues have the most negative effect on productivity. Employees at risk of depression, fatigue, and burnout experience 151%, 141%, and 120% more lost productive days, respectively, compared to those without these conditions. Physical health problems also continue to affect productivity and should not be underestimated. Risk factors such as poor diet, obesity, musculoskeletal issues, and lack of physical activity contribute to increased lost time by 14%, 54%, and 28%, respectively (Vitality, 2023).
Nuffield Health
At Nuffield Health, we believe the real health of a company should be judged not just on its revenues but on the health and wellbeing of its employees. Indeed, healthier employees generally mean bigger profits:
We are committed to providing a wide range of quality corporate healthcare services that both engages and empowers your employees, playing a central role in creating a thriving organisation. The evidence suggests those employees who can achieve and maintain good standards of health and wellbeing are more likely to be more creative, more loyal, more productive and provide better customer service.
As the costs associated with emotional and physical health problems escalate, absenteeism and presenteeism are becoming increasing concerns. The on-going challenge of sustaining employee engagement and performance in the aftermath of a global pandemic, and the intense work pressure it has brought, will continue to take its toll on all employees for a significant period of time.
As leaders in corporate healthcare we understand the importance of early intervention and supporting your employee’s health concerns. We do this with our unique heath assessment programmes. Our services remove the barriers to accessing healthcare, and by drawing on our expertise we can offer your workforce access to unique, tailored personalised health assessments.
Health assessments will support your workforce by mitigating the impact of health concerns, identify health and lifestyle risks at an earlier stage, and importantly give individual’s the advice and tools to take control of their health and lifestyle. Your business remains productive and your workforce feels valued and cared for.
For further information, please visit our website: www.nuffieldheal.com/health-assessments