| A person’s performance and productivity in the workplace is strongly linked to their overall health and wellbeing, so investing in and taking care of the welfare of its staff should be at the heart of an organisation’s culture and values. The world of work has evolved past just looking after the ‘traditional’ health and safety of employees to one where total wellbeing is fundamental. Employment law not only protects employees from harassment and unfair dismissal, but also covers stress and unfair treatment. A mental health condition which has a long-term effect on a person’s normal day-to-day activity is considered a disability. Crucially for businesses, under employment law there is no upper compensation limit for employees under disability discrimination law, so organisations do need to take it seriously. Many organisations pay attention to their employees’ physical health, with offers of gym memberships, cycle to work and car sharing schemes encouraging them to get active, and healthy food and drink options in their cafes or canteens offering better nutritionally balanced choices. We are all well versed in the benefits of physical exercise. Yet with an ever increasing number of career demands, more and more of us are spending a larger majority of our working day sedentary. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that, on average, people in the UK now spend around 31 hours a week in work (33 if you work in London). That average includes part-time and full-time workers and is the highest figure recorded since 2008. So encouraging employees to take a break, even if just a quick walk at a lunchtime, is becoming an important task for organisations to highlight the need for regular physical exercise. But without continuous emphasis, the above types of health and nutritional benefits can be short lived. Encouragement and promotion of the benefits are fundamental to maintain people’s interest. Some will take up the options but others won’t if they feel they do not have the time or the pressures of work are too great. We only have to consider how many people take up gym memberships in January of their own accord, for them to then fizzle out within a few weeks or months to see evidence of this. |
