Employers ‘becoming more sensitive to workplace health’

Employers are increasingly waking up to the importance of workplace health, according HR professionals.

Louise Ashton, workwell director at Business in the Community, told the Financial Times: “I’ve seen a massive shift since we launched our wellbeing campaign in 2007. This whole agenda was a nice-to-have - a PR bolt-on. Since then, businesses have really woken up to the inextricable linkage between wellbeing and engagement to drive sustainable performance.”

Royal Mail group director of safety, health, wellbeing and sustainability Shaun Davis told the publication of significant improvements in this area within the organisation.

He said that when he first became employed at the company, there was a real focus around safety, but health and wellness was “a late bloomer”, adding that since then “we’ve really focused on health and wellbeing”.

Speaking about the benefits of doing so, he said: “It helps not only improve attendance at work but also employee engagement. With 142,000 staff, we have a real chance to educate and inform the broader population.”

Mr Davis has overseen a number of safety, health and wellbeing, including a “Feeling First Class” initiative, designed to tackle mental health within the company. He said these schemes have resulted in a drop in absenteeism, as well as improvements in general wellbeing in staff self-assessments.

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