FMJ.CO.UK FACILITIES SHOW DAILY
WHY EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY
FOR YOUR BUSINESS
FACILITIES SHOW DAILY JUNE 2019 5
Businesses are becoming increasingly
concerned with employee wellbeing and
for good reason. A recent study by workplace
solutions retailer, AJ Products, revealed that
over 40% of people think that their current work
environment has a negative impact on their
physical and emotional wellbeing as well as
being detrimental to their productivity.
This harms both workers and the company’s
bottom line.
Why should businesses care?
According to Health and Safety Executive (HSE),
the two leading causes of absenteeism due to
work-related ill health are stress, depression or
anxiety, and musculoskeletal disorders. In the UK
in 2017-18, 15.4 million working days were lost
because of work-related stress, depression or
anxiety, accounting for 57% of working days lost
due to ill health. Musculoskeletal problems, such
as back and neck pain, accounted for a further 24%
of days lost: a total of 6.6 million days. This is at a
considerable cost to UK businesses.
The workplace has a significant role to play
in reducing the physical and emotional burden
placed on employees. Improvements to the
physical working environment, including the
introduction of flexible and active workspaces,
improved lighting and efforts to cut noise levels,
can reduce stress, increase concentration levels
and improve job satisfaction.
It is not just employees that see the benefit of
corporate wellness programmes. Soma Analytics’
Mental Health and Wellbeing: FTSE 100 Report
2018 showed that FTSE 100 companies that placed
an emphasis on employee wellbeing and mental
health significantly outperformed those that
considered it less important.
When it comes to employees’ opinions on their
working conditions, the AJ Products Workplace
Health Survey 2019 revealed that, although 82%
of people believe that the organisation they work
for cares about their health and wellbeing, over
60% said they would consider changing jobs for
a healthier and more active work environment.
Furthermore, despite a significant majority
believing that their employer cares about
their health, 44% think that their current work
environment has a negative impact on their
physical wellbeing, 46% believe that it has a
negative impact on their emotional wellbeing and
48% state that it has an adverse effect on their
productivity.
How can active working help?
Active working has become increasingly popular
in workplaces worldwide, but it is far more
than a trend: it is a response to the dangers of
prolonged sitting. In a 2018 study, the World Health
Organisation found that an alarming 37% of adults
in high-income Western countries (including the
UK and USA) do not do enough physical activity.
1. Sedentary lifestyles have been held partly
responsible for a rise in health conditions such
as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease
and musculoskeletal problems. Moreover, it has
been shown that regular exercise is not enough to
combat the negative effects of long hours spent
sitting down.
The human body is designed to keep moving.
Contrary to popular belief, this is possible even
with a desk job thanks to the growing range
of office furniture on the market designed to
encourage activity while working. This includes
sit-stand desks, stand-up meeting tables, active
chairs, balance boards and standing desk mats.
Movement is key to a healthier workday. Workplace
solutions that give staff the ability to change their
working position and switch between sitting
and standing throughout the day help to reduce
musculoskeletal complaints by improving posture,
increasing core muscle strength and reducing the
strain placed on the back and shoulders by sitting.
Not only does active office furniture improve
physical health, it also has a knock-on effect on
performance, productivity and mood. A study
of 146 NHS staff led by researchers from the
Universities of Leicester and Loughborough and
published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)
demonstrated that sit-stand desks have a positive
effect on mental wellbeing at work. At the end of
the one-year study, participants who had been
given a standing desk reported improved quality of
life, reduced fatigue and reduced anxiety as well as
better engagement with their work and improved
job performance.
An active office that puts employees first will
benefit the business by tackling the physical and
mental strain that leads to diminished productivity
and the most common causes of absenteeism.
Furthermore, it strengthens the image of the
company as a top employer, making it easier
to retain talented staff and attract the best new
recruits.
For more information about AJ Products, visit
STAND HW4410