thehealth.foundation
TheWellnessInstitute
Joaquim Cardoso MSc
January 24, 2024
This is an Executive Summary of the article “UK employee health has barely improved since pandemic”, published on the Financial Times, and authored by Andrew Jack.
What is the message:
The FT-Vitality Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey reveals that the health of UK employees has seen minimal improvement since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022.
Despite a marginal 2% decrease in lost work hours, employers still forfeited approximately 50 days per employee due to health-related issues, comprising both presenteeism and sickness absence.
Executive Summary:
The FT-Vitality Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey, conducted on 4,787 employees across 59 organizations in the year to October 2023, discloses that UK employee health has scarcely improved since the Covid-19 pandemic’s peak in 2022.
Employers lost nearly 50 days of work per employee, a mere 2% improvement from the previous year.
The survey highlights ongoing concerns regarding presenteeism, obesity, excessive drinking, and sleep deprivation.
Noteworthy differences in wellbeing and productivity linked to income, gender, age, seniority, and work location were also observed.
Examples and Statistics:
- Among the surveyed employees, an average of 43.6 days were lost due to presenteeism, in addition to 6.1 days of sickness absence.
- The data revealed high levels of obesity (58%), poor diet (56%), and lack of physical activity (37%).
- Productive time lost varied, averaging 27.9 days for C-suite executives, 51.5 days for non-managerial employees, and 32.6 days for those earning more than £150,000 a year.
- Younger employees experienced higher productivity losses, with 60.6 days lost for 18- to 25-year-olds.
- Hybrid workers showed lower productivity losses compared to those exclusively working at the office or from home.
The data revealed high levels of obesity (58%), poor diet (56%), and lack of physical activity (37%)
Hybrid workers showed lower productivity losses compared to those exclusively working at the office or from home.
Conclusions and Recommendations:
The survey underscores the persistent challenges in improving employee health, calling attention to the limited impact of individual-focused wellness interventions.
Structural factors such as autonomy, purpose, pay, working conditions, and supportive management were identified as crucial influencers on wellbeing.
The findings advocate for a shift in focus from individual interventions to broader structural improvements in job design, organizational culture, and management quality.
Structural factors such as autonomy, purpose, pay, working conditions, and supportive management were identified as crucial influencers on wellbeing.
The role of line managers emerged as fundamental, with a strategic approach to wellness recommended, linked to metrics and accountability.
- It is suggested that organizations appoint a board director responsible for wellness.
- Structural factors such as autonomy, purpose, pay, working conditions, and supportive management were identified as crucial influencers on wellbeing.
- Additionally, the data highlights the need for a substantive shift in employer spending towards prevention programs, away from the current emphasis on the costs associated with staff ill-health and lost productivity.
The findings provide valuable insights for organizations seeking comprehensive strategies to enhance employee health and productivity.
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