Public Health England (PHE) have published a fantastic new Health at Work resource this week. The publication presents facts and actions employers can take to ensure the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Key findings from the report include that in the UK;

• 131 million working days are lost to sickness absence yearly,
• 28.2 million days of this are down to musculoskeletal problems
• and 1 in 10 employees report having a musculoskeletal condition

This of course is a huge cost to the economy as a whole (£100 billion annually according to the report) and to businesses individually.

For employers who take care of their employees health and wellbeing there are huge benefits to be had. A healthy workforce is more productive, will take less time of sick and of course a happy employee will stay with you for longer.

PHE’s Health at Work resource suggests actions all employers can take to support their employees health and wellbeing. From ensuring senior management buy-in to encouraging healthy behaviours –  such as taking breaks, eating well and increasing physical activity.

As many of us spend most our waking life in the workplace, one way employers can help staff increase their activity levels is by giving them opportunities to get more active during the day. For example, ensuring staff take their lunch break and encouraging them to leave work on time. Offering workplace fitness classes, such as Pilates or Yoga, is also great for helping staff with musculoskeletal problems (and for prevention). Encouraging staff to take time away from their desks to strengthen and stretch their muscles, can reduce the possibility of them taking sick days for back-pain and other MSK conditions.

Useful links:

Here are our top tips for getting active in the workplace

Find out more about our Workplace Fitness classes – an easy way to help your staff get active!

Download the full Public Health England Health at Work Publication here