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WORKPLACE HEALTH & WELLBEING


Let’s assume that we have a well-meaning organisation with good culture (they do exist!). The Health & Safety Manager has reduced accident rates to as close to zero as possible and all the risk assessments are in place to ensure that this continues. Where does this organisation look next to improve worker wellbeing?


Work-related stress is fast becoming the biggest cause of work-related illness. It is now responsible for 40% of time off, overtaking MSDs at 39% for the first time in 2016/17. The new ISO 45001 standard overtly targets it as a risk to be owned and identified. It’s hard to ignore.


What can organisations do? Well, training employees to understand the causes of excess stress and creating a culture where management responds is a good start. eLearning is the perfect tool to educate large numbers of diverse people on a topic they may not be comfortable answering questions about in a classroom environment.


WORDS


FROM THE WIZE


Despite workplace wellbeing being the phrase of the moment amongst health and safety and HR professionals, only 5% of UK businesses have ‘extensive’ wellbeing programmes. Here,


EssentialSkillz suggests how eLearning


can play its role in the personal welfare of employees.


A look at the accident trend statistics from the HSE generally reflects a story of improved worker safety and declining fatal accidents and serious injuries. Credit is partly due to health and safety professionals eliminating dangerous practice but also the structural change in the UK economy. The move away from heavy industry to the service sector has seen an evolution in the problems faced by employees.


Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) are now as likely to be found in a desk bound office worker with poor ergonomics as someone undertaking repetitive tasks on a production line. Be honest, employers want all their employees fit and healthy, on site and productive and not off sick, that’s how stuff gets done. Employees want to be healthy, not only at work, but so they can make full use of their leisure and family time. There is mutual benefit – productivity and quality of life.


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Systems like WorkWize from EssentialSkillz can be used to deliver stress awareness and management training, but also include people-based risk assessments as well. It's easy to see how further training on topics like return to work interviews and even mindfulness could create a better environment.


Let’s go further, even if our hypothetical organisation contributes to none of the 5.5 million days lost to non- fatal workplace injuries and loses no employees to stress, anxiety or depression; absences will still occur. People will still get ill, whether it’s the common cold or a toothache, you’ll never have everybody at their desks, right? Well yes... but could a fully holistic workplace wellbeing programme seek to challenge employees to improve their overall health?


Although weight and smoking are not necessarily ‘work- related’ health issues, savvy employers can calculate the return on investment available to them providing they can nudge workers towards healthier choices. Free fruit is great, but what about eLearning to help employees understand the benefits of a balanced diet? The same goes for subsidised Gym membership, a fantastic perk, but how about some encouragement to go? Cycle to work? Gamify the use of the bikes and gym sessions through a sports tracking app like Strava or Endomondo. Free vouchers for nicotine gum contingent on completing an online smoking cessation course?


With a little imagination and cooperation between health and safety, who generally own the risk, and HR who tend to own the absence rate, smart organisations can benefit from improving overall worker health. With the NHS under greater pressure than ever, maybe now is the time for employers to bridge the gap. Is this crazy nanny state employer or the future of truly integrated worker wellbeing?


EssentialSkillz is offering a free trial of its Stress Awareness eLearning Course to anyone looking to enhance their Workplace Wellbeing offering.


www.essentialskillz.com www.tomorrowshs.com https://www.essentialskillz.com/online-training/health-and-safety/stress-awareness


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