Penny Elliott Business Development Healthoutfit Ltd
What’s the difference?
I’m often asked to describe what we do in as few words as possible. For those of you who know me, you know that’s no easy ask!
Most employers are aware of Occupational Health & Safety. An important part of occupational health is concerned with how work and the work environment can impact on workers’ health, both physical and mental. Employers have a legal obligation to make workplaces healthy and safe.
At Healthoutfit, we focus on how employee’s health impacts on their work, helping them to be ‘fit for purpose’. Put like that it sounds harsh, but the statistics are undeniable – British businesses lost an average of 38 working days per employee to physical and mental health related absence and presenteeism in 2019 – and that was before the pandemic hit. Almost three-quarters of the £91.9bn (£68 billion) productivity loss can be attributed to factors such as poor mental wellbeing and unhealthy lifestyle choices.
We focus on 3 main elements of good health – mental wellbeing, healthy eating and physical wellbeing. And we do this by providing you with your own branded web pages and your employees with fact sheets, webinars, online and in person physical and lifestyle coaching – your workforce will love it!
We work alongside your suppliers of occupational health, catering and facilities both on and offshore.
So what’s the difference?
Increased motivation and productivity. Ongoing support helps staff work through personal or work-related difficulties and maintain productivity in a healthy way. They’ll feel motivated to commit more energy to work.
Higher staff retention. Workers who feel supported will want to keep working for you. This means you retain talented people and lower recruitment and training costs.
Reduced sickness absence. Staff will face fewer physical or mental health ailments that require time off.
Reduced presenteeism. Presenteeism is when staff come to work despite not being in the best physical or mental health, which causes them to perform below standard. According to research, presenteeism costs one and a half times more than absenteeism because it causes accidents, underperformance, and mistakes. Jobs often need completing twice or staff have to take more time off than they originally would have.
Reduced costs. Mental health issues cost workplaces an estimated £26 billion per year, equivalent to £1,035 per employee. According to Mindful Employer, research shows that spending as little as 80p on health promotion strategies can save around £4 of absenteeism, presenteeism, and temporary staff costs.
Higher job satisfaction. Staff who feel appreciated at work gain more satisfaction from working. According to a workplace survey, 80% of people said that better wellbeing benefits would make them feel more positive towards their employer. 1 in 10 said that something as simple as complimentary fresh fruit would improve job satisfaction.
Improved reputation. Word gets around fast about companies that don’t treat their staff right, and this can put off applicants and customers. That’s why it’s within your best interest to build your reputation as a company that respects and supports people. It gives you a competitive edge and attracts talent.