As a nation, we all know that we need to get healthier and there is no better place to start than in the workplace. The World Health Organisation believes the workplace is the ideal setting to promote health to a large proportion of the population. It directly influences the physical, mental, economic and social well-being of workers and, as many are also parents, the health of families too, as well as reaching further out into the wider community and society.
A person will spend around 80,000 hours working throughout their lives and the workplace, as a result, can have a profound effect on their health. Approximately 11 million days are lost through absenteeism every year at a cost of €1.5bn to the Irish economy. Presenteeism, meanwhile, where employees turn-up for work despite being ill or having health problems, is estimated to result in a loss of productivity that is on average 7.5 times greater than absenteeism. The bottom line is that improving employee health affects the bottom line and it really is in everyone’s interest to do something about it.
Both employers and employees are increasingly shaping the working environment to actively improve the health of their workforce. A growing number of employers are introducing initiatives and facilities into the workplace to support and encourage healthier lifestyles amongst their employees. These range from providing secure bike racks and shower facilities and weekly fruit boxes to the implementation of structured wellbeing programmes which seek to make employees better informed about their health and wellbeing and support them in making the changes necessary to their lifestyle.
We are also seeing a greater emphasis nationally on the promotion of wellbeing in the workplace. National Workplace Wellbeing Day takes place on Friday, 31st March. This is the third year of this Food Drink Ireland initiative, which is supported by Ibec and aims to improve employee wellbeing through promoting better exercise and nutrition in the workplace. On the day, employers are asked to place a special emphasis on health and wellbeing in the workplace. This could be as simple as promoting initiatives that are already available within the organisation to doing something special on the day. It doesn’t have to be anything that requires a lot of planning or even money. All it needs to do is encourage staff to think a little more about their health on the day.
Hundreds of employers and employee, large and small, across the public and private sector, participated last year. They organised activities including health checks, exercise and fitness classes, nutrition talks and cookery demonstrations. Thousands of employers and employees also completed the “Lunchtime Mile” – a one mile cycle, jog, run, or walk – in the vicinity of their workplace – a simple free activity that anyone can arrange.
For further details about National Workplace Wellbeing Day, visit fooddrinkireland.ie
