Health of the Business: The Relationship between Employee Health and Productivity and Why It Matters.
Human beings are designed to move. As a species our bodies and the processes that keep us running efficiently are adapted to work more effectively with movement and healthy habits as part of our daily lives. The Mayo Clinic recommends at the very least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly with considerably more benefits coming from 300 minutes of movement.[1] The workplace though is not something that is in line with these necessities. In modern society the reverse has unfortunately been true, we sit at desks under poor lighting for hours a day, eat non-nutritious food from vending machines for lunch and remain in unhealthy positions day in and day out.
Something has to change: “Office workers, whose primary tasks generally involve: answering phones, using computers and participating in meetings are at a high risk for many chronic diseases.”[2] These sedentary tasks are completed by workers 8-9 hours per day 5 days per week for years at a time. This workplace inactivity is compounded by the time spent commuting to work, sitting in a vehicle or on a train or bus. All of this time adds up to more than half of the day not moving our bodies the way that they need to move. A study by Hu et al: found that sitting for increments of just two hours can increase risks of diabetes and obesity by 5% and 7% respectively.[3] The average worker will sit for 3X that daily. With so little movement at work the time before and after work is paramount to keeping employees healthy. The issue then for so many people becomes simply not knowing where to start and having no idea where to go for help.
Where change starts: The idea of corporate wellness programs has been around for decades. These programs began as benefits for executives at Fortune 500 companies and have evolved to become a prevalent and necessary benefit for companies of all sizes. The benefits of health and wellness for workers have been documented by study after study, showing that educating, incentivizing and celebrating physical well-being is a necessity when running a successful business. This change needs to start at the top though, and it needs to be reinforced at every level of management throughout an organization. A good way to strengthen this culture of health and wellness is to involve the C-suite in the marketing of workplace wellness programming. If employees see their managers taking time out for their health, they are much more likely to take part themselves. The number of individuals who work as executives is small and there are very few people who have benefitted from these services for decades, and it is time that workers at every level of the business enjoy these same life-changing benefits to improve the whole company’s bottom line.
Making Change Accessible: Another means of getting employees involved is to bring the fitness and wellness to them. The inclusion of convenient fitness and wellness programs at the workplace makes it much easier for employees to get involved. Even adding 30 minutes of exercise before work to beat the traffic or over a lunch break can pay dividends in employee productivity for hours after exercise. There are many options available to the employer when it comes to making exercise and wellness accessible.
1. On-site Gym – The addition of a place to exercise within the office or at the very least within walking distance makes it far more likely that workers will have the time and energy to work-out.
2. Visiting Instructors – Having a yoga instructor or another expert in the field visit the office or building can be a great way to jumpstart workers fitness.
3. Walking Groups – Simple and effective. Walking is the most popular form of exercise for a reason. The overwhelming majority of people can do it and its benefits are undeniable.[4]
4. Education – Scheduling a visit from a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist or even a life coach is a great way to get questions answered and make the idea of becoming fit more attainable to employees.
Change is happening: A wonderful example of this is Johnson and Johnson. They have invested in their employees, implementing wellness programs to address mental, physical and social issues. This investment has saved the company an estimated $250 million dollars between 2001 and 2008. The majority of this savings comes along with a return of $2.71 for every dollar spent implementing these wellness activities.[5] Duke University has also had its’ own success story, showing that employees taking part in a cholesterol lowering program saved $3.39 on healthcare costs for ever $1.00 spent.[6] Other examples are plentiful with costs for healthcare falling consistently every time an effective program is implemented.
Benefits of a healthy workforce:[7]
1. Decreased Absenteeism – One Study found workplace wellness saved $64.91 per employee per year simply by reducing sick-days missed due to poor health.[8]
2. Decreased Presenteeism – The added focus and overall well-being generated by a fitter staff will help to address the world’s presenteeism crisis.[9]
3. Lower Healthcare Costs – The Johnson and Johnson Study from earlier is a fantastic example of a company profiting by investing in its’ employees.
4. Increase Productivity and Engagement – A happy, fit individual with access to the health services they need is much more likely to remain engaged and productive at the office.
5. Enhance Recruitment and Retention – Employees are consistently saying that they want to work for employers with health-conscious programs.[10]
6. Boost Morale – Exercise has been proven to be one of the cheapest and most effective means of improving general well-being in individuals. Bringing this result to a collective group in an office setting is guaranteed to provide for longer tenured, happier workers.
Where does Senaura Spaces fit into this change? Senaura Spaces is passionate and dedicated to evolving the workplace to create facilities that foster productivity, profitability, health and wellness for our clients. The idea of wellness in the workplace is the future of work as we know it. Many businesses are recognizing the need for improved employee well-being and Senaura Spaces is at the vanguard of that change. Senaura Spaces brings amenities to our clients to promote healthy living and nurture the mental, physical and social health of their employees.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise/faq-20057916#:~:text=Get%20at%20least%20150%20minutes,or%20more%20in%20a%20week
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8038562/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12684356/
[4] https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/walking/why-is-walking-the-most-popular-form-of-exercise
[5] https://hbr.org/2010/12/whats-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10163303/
[7] https://www.questdiagnostics.com/business-solutions/resources-insights/6-benefits-of-employee-wellness-programs
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5724963/
[9] https://fortune.com/2023/12/14/worker-presenteeism-costs-us-economy-trillions-solution/
[10] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2018/08/27/win-with-wellness-attract-and-retain-talent/