Yoga classes, gym passes, health insurance and flexible work hours are just some of the benefits that companies are relying on to boost the health of their senior executives. The introduction of these perks makes many employers feel confident that they will improve the work-life balance of their employees; this in turn would make them feel more positive about their jobs and the workplace.
However, a study recently revealed that 76% of employees admitted experiencing symptoms of job burnout for reasons such as poor management or unmanageable workloads (Wigert, 2020). The unfortunate statistics do not stop there either:
- A CIPD 2020 survey about Health and Wellbeing at Work has found a 37% increase in stress-related absence at work since last year, and 89% of employees have confessed to working while feeling unwell (CIPD, 2020).
- Another article claims that workplace stress costs employers nearly $200 billion in healthcare expenses every year (Pfeffer, 2018). This is of course just one estimate, as even bigger amounts are estimated through other surveys and studies.
Even with the perks and activities offered by the companies and employers, many people are still stressed due to work. This, of course, harms both their mental and physical health.
Oftentimes some may ask for sick leave to recover. Others, however, plunge themselves deeper into work which may have negative effects on the company through decreased productivity levels and lower performance.
So apart from the better performance what are some of the reasons that employers should focus on health and how would that benefit everyone involved? Let’s find out:
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Increased productivity and loyalty
If a company treats its senior team members well it stands to reason that they will be more productive and loyal to it because they are sure that they will be taken care of if something happens.
A company should acknowledge the effort a manager gives and reciprocate it; this ensures that there is a balance in the relationship between employer-employee. You should not ask employees to give you more than you would be willing to give to them.
Introducing various policies, initiatives or access to corporate and executive health assessments that improve the livelihood of those employed with you will show them that you genuinely value their input. As a result of that, they are more likely to contribute meaningfully to work and their enthusiasm will make sure the company is thriving.
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Higher rate of retention
The retention rate of a company refers to how many employees were able to stay within a year at least or since the business has started. This is an important factor for your company as it indicates how stable your company is (Roder, 2019).
There is a false belief floating around that ‘modern employees’ don’t wish to stay in one company for a long time; this is false. Everyone wants to find stability in their work, and it is the poorer working conditions that make them want to leave.
If you can show that you will care about those who work with you, they will be more inclined to stay. This greatly involves taking care of people’s health because if they feel poorly while at work, they are more likely to find a job somewhere else where they will feel better.
This is why health assessments would be beneficial, as people will have peace of mind regarding their health.
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Great customer relationships
If your managers and directors often interact with clients, it is even more important to be aware of how you treat them. In the eyes of customers, they are the face of the company. Any discontent about aspects of their job will be reflected in how they carry themselves at work and how they take care of the clients.
This can be very simple things like providing correct equipment to allowing flexibility if they fall sick. Especially important in the past year as the world was dealing with COVID and many people had to adapt to working from home and interacting with clients through a virtual space.
Employers that commit to improving the health and well-being of their workforce will be rewarded for their holistic approach. The results will be that satisfied leaders put more effort into their work without you asking; they will develop stronger customer relationships.
This approach will also be good because it will differentiate you from the crowd of other employers when it comes to recruiting fresh talent. A perk like healthcare benefits attracts more applicants.
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Encouraging proactive behaviour
It is said that prevention is better than cure. By offering resources and tools from the very beginning you will provide a chance for people to take control of their well-being and ensure that they can get help with their physical or mental health right away.
This effort will help with the points mentioned above, but also if you employ more accessible tools like exercise videos or online consultants you would be including more marginalised employees as well.
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Lower levels of sick leave
A big part of being considered a good employer is maintaining the health and wellness not just of the people who work for you but also their environment. This includes keeping the workplace clean and having access to what they need as well as having wellness programs that everyone can access for free.
All of these things contribute to a healthy workplace environment. As a result of all the combined factors (environment, health benefits, keeping fit etc.) you should see lower levels of sick leave. The simple correlation stands as, the higher number of healthy employees you have, the less likely it is that they will require sick leave.
Ways to Improve Employee Health
Improving health doesn’t need to be a huge undertaking. Here are some smaller solutions that, alongside an executive health assessment, would help create a healthy and productive environment for your workers (Eden Health, 2021).
- Providing health and wellness programs:
- An integrated well-being program would address all areas of employee health. This can be on a more superficial level that would then allow a referral to a specialist if needed.
- Encourage regular exercise:
- Promote running groups, create gym passes and generally promote decisions that would improve their health like taking the stairs or using a standing desk if possible.
- Create a good working space:
- Being able to access natural light is important – especially when it gets darker earlier during winter. Investing in proper working equipment is also important – comfortable chairs and desks improve people’s posture and allow them to work in better conditions.
- Encourage people to support their mental health:
- Urge people to take regular breaks, use their vacation time and support them if they need to take a leave of absence or sick days.
- Offer healthy alternatives:
- Get rid of fizzy drinks and unhealthy snacks from the vending machines or break rooms, offer healthy lunches and fruit as better options.
- Educate:
- Have regular seminars and other available resources that provide practical and straightforward advice that everyone will be able to put into practice not just at work but at home as well.
Executive Health Assessments at Echelon Health
At Echelon Health we are strong believers that happy employees are productive employees. We are proud to provide executive health assessments to a wide range of clients who are able to recognise the benefits of making executive health assessments available in their company.
This provides an excellent individual benefit for the employees and also provides the company with the knowledge that their leaders at various levels are being cared for in a fantastic professional environment.
Echelon Health provide the most comprehensive health assessment available. With our Platinum Assessment, we are able to detect up to 94% of preventable causes of death. This includes various cancers and heart disease. Here is a full list of what we test for:
- Vascular Dementia
- Cerebrovascular Disease
- Arteriovenous Malformation
- Brain Cancer
- Cancer of Sinuses
- Acoustic Neuroma
- Carotid Artery Atheroma
- Thyroid Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Acute Lung Diseases
- Aortic Aneurysm
- Chronic Respiratory Disease
- Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Coronary Heart Disease
- Breast Cancer
- Skin Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Spleen Enlargement
- Gallbladder Disease
- Adrenal Gland Tumours
- Kidney Cancer
- Diverticular Disease
- Colorectal Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
- Cancer of the Ovaries
- Osteoporosis
If you have any questions about the many benefits of an executive health assessment contact our team here or check out the other assessments that we provide. If you want more information about how stress affects our systems read this blog here!
Sources:
Wigert, B. (2020). Employee Burnout: The Biggest Myth. Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/288539/employee-burnout-biggest-myth.aspx (Accessed 03/11/2021).
CIPD (2020). Health and Well-being at Work. Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/health-and-well-being-2020-report_tcm18-73967.pdf (Accessed 03/11/2021).
Pfeffer, J. (2018). The overlooked essentials of employee well-being. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-overlooked-essentials-of-employee-well-being (Accessed 03/11/2021).
Roder, N. (2019). Does Your Company Have a Healthy Employee Retention Rate? Available at: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/your-company-healthy-employee-retention-rate/ (Accessed 03/11/2021).
Eden Health (2021). The Importance of Employee Health. Available at: https://www.edenhealth.com/blog/promote-employee-health/ (Accessed 03/11/2021).