Statistics
Most company annual reports contain statements relating to people being their greatest asset. Yet, how many organisations fully understand the extent to which investment in the health and wellbeing of their people can lead to a more productive, happier workforce? Below are some statistics relating to current health topics and business benefits derived from them:
Smoking
• The average number of sick days per year for smokers is 4.2 compared with 2.8 for non smokers (Health of the Nation Report 2006)
• In England, 364,000 patients are admitted to NHS hospitals each year due to diseases caused by smoking. This translates into 7,000 hospital admissions per week, or 1,000 a day. (Office for National Statistics, 2002)
• For every death caused by smoking, approximately 20 smokers are suffering from a smoking related disease. Cigarette smoking-attributable morbidity – United States, 2000. (MMWR Weekly Report, 5 Sep. 2003)
• In 1997/98, cigarette smoking caused an estimated 480,000 patients to consult their GP for heart disease, 20,000 for stroke and nearly 600,000 for COPD. (Office for National Statistics, 2002)
• Proactive YouGov Research:
- 63% of employers agree that employers tend to feel that employees who smoke do not present a good company image.
- 59% of employers believe employees who smoke are less productive because of the regular breaks they take
- 74% agree that employers would be more likely to recruit a non-smoker than a heavy smoker
Obesity
• There is “an obesity epidemic results in 18 million sick days/ year” (NAO)
• Diseases attributable in some part to a poor diet include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. It was estimated that £6 billion of direct costs to the NHS could be avoided each year if all members of the population consumed a healthy diet (NAO)
• Proactive YouGov Research:
- 72% of employers think that obesity means negative characteristics in an employee even though they may not express it openly
- 87% believe that employers who would like to talk to obese staff about their health may feel reluctant to do so due to concerns about the person's feelings and 86% believe that they may be reluctant to do so because of the possible legal implications
- 53% of employers think employees who are obese are more likely to have time off sick than those who are not obese
- 64% of employers believe that obesity has the potential to be a serious issue in the workplace, contributing to lower productivity and higher costs
Productivity
• People in ‘good health’ are up to 20% more productive than those in ‘poor health’.
• Reduced absenteeism – In the last 12 months, exercisers took 3.0 sick days on average compared to 3.5 taken by non-exercisers. Exercisers made 1.9 doctor/hospital visits on average compared with 2.6 by those who do less than 150 minutes (Health of the Nation Report 2006).
• Lack of time is the biggest barrier to exercise. Work commitments prevent 33.9% from exercising as much as they could (Health of the Nation Report 2006).
Posture / musculoskeletal issues
• According to the Department of Health, 40% of adults said that they had suffered from back pain lasting more than one day in the previous 12 months (DOH Prevalence of Back Pain report, 1998). Nearly 40% of those needed to visit a GP for help and 10% consulted complementary medicine specialists (such as osteopaths and chiropractors). There is a substantial impact on the performance of businesses as a result of these sorts of issues.
Return-on-investment
• 75% of organisations monitor the causes of sickness absence and 85% say they are taking action to reduce absence (Occupational Health: June 2006)
• The average direct cost of absence is £531 per employee – indirect costs (poorer quality of service extra training, etc) are £584 per employee (Occupational Health: June 2006)
Smoking
• The average number of sick days per year for smokers is 4.2 compared with 2.8 for non smokers (Health of the Nation Report 2006)
• In England, 364,000 patients are admitted to NHS hospitals each year due to diseases caused by smoking. This translates into 7,000 hospital admissions per week, or 1,000 a day. (Office for National Statistics, 2002)
• For every death caused by smoking, approximately 20 smokers are suffering from a smoking related disease. Cigarette smoking-attributable morbidity – United States, 2000. (MMWR Weekly Report, 5 Sep. 2003)
• In 1997/98, cigarette smoking caused an estimated 480,000 patients to consult their GP for heart disease, 20,000 for stroke and nearly 600,000 for COPD. (Office for National Statistics, 2002)
• Proactive YouGov Research:
- 63% of employers agree that employers tend to feel that employees who smoke do not present a good company image.
- 59% of employers believe employees who smoke are less productive because of the regular breaks they take
- 74% agree that employers would be more likely to recruit a non-smoker than a heavy smoker
Obesity
• There is “an obesity epidemic results in 18 million sick days/ year” (NAO)
• Diseases attributable in some part to a poor diet include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. It was estimated that £6 billion of direct costs to the NHS could be avoided each year if all members of the population consumed a healthy diet (NAO)
• Proactive YouGov Research:
- 72% of employers think that obesity means negative characteristics in an employee even though they may not express it openly
- 87% believe that employers who would like to talk to obese staff about their health may feel reluctant to do so due to concerns about the person's feelings and 86% believe that they may be reluctant to do so because of the possible legal implications
- 53% of employers think employees who are obese are more likely to have time off sick than those who are not obese
- 64% of employers believe that obesity has the potential to be a serious issue in the workplace, contributing to lower productivity and higher costs
Productivity
• People in ‘good health’ are up to 20% more productive than those in ‘poor health’.
• Reduced absenteeism – In the last 12 months, exercisers took 3.0 sick days on average compared to 3.5 taken by non-exercisers. Exercisers made 1.9 doctor/hospital visits on average compared with 2.6 by those who do less than 150 minutes (Health of the Nation Report 2006).
• Lack of time is the biggest barrier to exercise. Work commitments prevent 33.9% from exercising as much as they could (Health of the Nation Report 2006).
Posture / musculoskeletal issues
• According to the Department of Health, 40% of adults said that they had suffered from back pain lasting more than one day in the previous 12 months (DOH Prevalence of Back Pain report, 1998). Nearly 40% of those needed to visit a GP for help and 10% consulted complementary medicine specialists (such as osteopaths and chiropractors). There is a substantial impact on the performance of businesses as a result of these sorts of issues.
Return-on-investment
• 75% of organisations monitor the causes of sickness absence and 85% say they are taking action to reduce absence (Occupational Health: June 2006)
• The average direct cost of absence is £531 per employee – indirect costs (poorer quality of service extra training, etc) are £584 per employee (Occupational Health: June 2006)
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