A New Study Reveals That Corporate Wellbeing Needs More Work

If you feel like your office environment or workplace is negatively impacting your overall health, including your ability to sleep well, then you’re not alone – according to a new study published in The Health in the Workplace Report.

The study, carried out by One4all Rewards, across 2,000 full and part time UK workers, revealed that 1 in 5 UK workplaces are bad for their workers’ health, with 23% of staff in that workplace underperforming because of it! And if that doesn’t come as a shock, the study also revealed that 17% regularly lose sleep due to work pressures.

With many employers across the country now introducing wellness programs – from morning yoga classes to stocking fridges with cold pressed juice – wellbeing in the workplace is clearly hot on the Monday morning agenda. But is it hot enough? Perhaps not according to the report, which says that employers need to make a more conscious effort if they want to recruit and retain better staff.

“A significant number of UK workers admit that work is negatively affecting their health and wellbeing, causing unnecessary suffering and also leading to a substantial loss of productivity,” the report explains.

“In the past year, 11% of employees said that they had become ill as a direct result of their work. Twice that number (22%) said that they regularly suffer from high levels of stress due to work pressures. And 17% admitted that they often had problems sleeping as a result of their jobs.”

“Worryingly, only 6% of workers felt that work actually had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing, indicating how few UK employees find work a positive and enjoyable experience.”

“These are worrying findings for everyone. Not only are many workers feeling increasingly stretched and unhappy, but their employers are also losing out as stressed-out workers significantly underperform,” said Declan Byrne, managing director of One4all Rewards.

It’s also clear that Londoners are worse off compared with national averages.

Fitness trainer Siobhan Byrne of BodyByrne, says exercise is a great way to improve productivity at work, adding “as a trainer I see many people on a daily basis who are pleasantly surprised by the improvement in their energy levels and overall feeling of wellness just by getting in a little exercise each day.”

The worst areas affected? IT, PR and Marketing, according to the report, with 37% of works in these sectors reporting reduced productivity as a result of poor health or stress.

You can read the full report via the One4all Rewards website: www.one4allrewards.co.uk

Does your workplace have a wellbeing program? If so, we’d love to hear about it. Drop us an email via hello@welltodolondon.com