Maintaining a healthy workforce
Author: sburke | Posted: 23.04.2012With all the stresses of modern life, it’s easy to become bogged down with everything – in turn, this can often have a serious effect on your wellbeing. This could be considered especially true from a work standpoint. Think about it; with the economic situation as it is, people are worried about losing their jobs or even putting their employers in a position where they feel like they can afford to let them go.
However, workplaces that enforce this kind of attitude in their employees hardly make for a happy and productive working environment. Sure, people might take less sick days, but that might only be because they’re rushing back to work before they are fully recovered. From a personal standpoint for the employee, this isn’t ideal. Their rushing back to work might be detrimental to their long term health and perhaps it isn’t even ideal for an employer – the extra sick days this might eventually lead to won’t exactly improve productivity.
On the other hand though, it is important for employers to be able to weed out employees who are taking more sick days than they really need to. But how can businesses keep on top of absences while still showing their workforce that they care for their wellbeing?
Well, one way could involve hiring an in-house occupational health nurse who employees can go and speak to about any medical issues as they crop up. Having someone do this who is actually employed by the company will allow an employer to receive a direct analysis of any employee health issues (especially those that could be serious) and provide employees with someone they can speak to as soon as any issues arise.
However, for smaller businesses, this option isn’t always feasible. That's where small business healthcare plans can come in handy. These types of plans can be tailored to suit the needs of smaller businesses, and can even improve employee morale and make a business more attractive through the medical benefits they bring to employees. Similarly, the expert care that employees receive can help employers to relax in the knowledge that they’ll be back to work as soon as possible.
However, some employers might not want to simply rest on their laurels safe in the knowledge that their employees are covered by an insurance plan. That's definitely a positive mind set to have. Employers who feel this way might want to encourage more physical activity in the workplace (how about introducing an annual sports day or see if anyone fancies setting up after work sports teams?) or generally look at ways which allow employees to have a better work/life balance. Not only can this improve employee health and cut back on stress, it can also lead to a happier (and hopefully more confident and productive) workforce.
About Author:
The author of this article is a part of a digital marketing agency that works with brands like Bupa. The views and opinions expressed within this article belong to the writer and any reference or summary of Bupa Health Information Factsheets is that of the writers and does not represent Bupa or the information contained within the Bupa website. The contents of this article are of a general nature only and do not constitute specific advice. This article does not take into account your circumstances or needs and must not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice.
The author of this article is a part of a digital marketing agency that works with brands like Bupa. The views and opinions expressed within this article belong to the writer and any reference or summary of Bupa Health Information Factsheets is that of the writers and does not represent Bupa or the information contained within the Bupa website. The contents of this article are of a general nature only and do not constitute specific advice. This article does not take into account your circumstances or needs and must not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice.
Click here to return original format