Global recruitment firm Kelly Services' online survey, which polled 115000 people in 33 countries, showed that nearly a fifth of employess say their work makes them ill or unhealthy. On average, 19 per cent of respondents said their job was adversely affecting their health, with an additional 13 percent saying their work wass so stressfull it was making it hard for them to sleep at night.
In economies everywhere people are spending more time at work, sometime at the expense of personal health and wellbeing. It said a significant number of people also believed that the state of their health was at risk because of stressfull workplaces conditions. Not only do employees see their health being affected, but they expect employers to actively address the issue.
While the majority of workers polled said their health was their employer's responsiblility, not everyone is asking for access to a gym, flexible hours or nutrition classes. The survey shows that that employess said workplace stress could be reduced by better communication between staff and management, and recognising individual achievement.
Employers can play a pivotal role in improving the health and fittness of their workers by introducing incentives and programmes to keep staff encouraged, motivated and productive. In a tight labour market, employee incentives are also a key tool in recruiting and retaining staff.
