Macquarie Institute Australia - Article Library

Article: Caring For Staff Health Is Good For The Company

Sydney Morning Herald, March 30, 2002
BYLINE: Pam Kershaw

Feeling stressed? Just relax. The corporate masseur will be around shortly to give you a head and shoulders massage at your workstation. Corporate health programs are growing in popularity, both because of the blurring of boundaries between work and life, and because of the push by companies to become an employer of choice.

Andrew May and Louise Heywood, directors of the corporate consultancy Healthy Business, http://www.healthybusiness.com.au, say much of this growth is driven by health-conscious baby boomer managers who see their younger staff spending increasingly long hours at work. The boundaries between life and work have ceased to exist for many of these staff, who may suffer high stress levels or burnout because of a lack of attention to their health. Decreased productivity, absenteeism and high staff turnover can follow.

"The old theory, particularly with blue collar workers, was that it's not my problem, it's their problem if employees aren't healthy," May says of employer attitudes. "Why should we worry if they smoke or drink too much or don't get enough sleep, as long as they turn up to work?"

"Now smart employers and managers realise if they can educate their staff about health, it not only impacts on the employees' health, but on the company and the bottom line."

May quotes figures for Wrest Point Casino, in Hobart, where he says a Healthy Business program has had a profound effect on the bottom line. In the last financial year, there was a 62 per cent decrease in sick days and a 36 per cent reduction in worker's compensation claims compared with the previous year.

May says a cost benefit analysis shows that for every dollar the casino spent on its health program, it saved $4.87 in costs associated with sick leave, staff turnover and similar outgoings.

Corporate health programs now involve far more than a gym, a facility only about 30 per cent of employees will use, he says. "If you've got more of a mature workforce, a lot of these baby boomers don't want to put on bike pants and lycra and jump around. They may want to do a boxing class at work, a running group, or play soccer or touch football at lunchtime. The big thing is offering choice."

May and Heywood aim for 80 to 90 per cent employee involvement. Employees, not the employer, should suggest services they would like.

Healthy Business may use a health expo to obtain this information, arranging a staff needs analysis along with blood pressure and cholesterol checks by medical professionals.

May says employee feedback shows the major issue is to maintain balance between work and life. Managing stress and time or priority management are also key issues, as is making efficient use of the minimal time some staff can devote to their health.

Health expos and education seminars are therefore popular, as are team building exercises such as kayaking, abseiling and mountain bike riding. Stress relief is sought through massage, relaxation classes, yoga and Pilates.

Corporate health programs are most effective if activities are introduced gradually, then varied. Programs should also be targeted at the workforce as May says, "a bunch of miners are not going to be too interested in reflexology or iridology".

Delivery of health education information can also vary according to employee needs, with IT workforces generally preferring face-to-face delivery as a break from workday involvement with the Web.

In companies where staff spend a lot of time out of the office, web delivery of information may be more practical than seminars.

May says an electronic needs analysis will be available later this year, enabling detailed surveys of all staff on health issues and employee satisfaction rankings. This will give a benchmark against which companies can measure changes on an annual basis.

"Everyone knows the intangible benefits," May says. "But in two or three years' time we know that we'll have to have a lot more bottom line evidence for companies on the return on investment.

"Health programs will move from being a nice benefit to a much more accountable part of the organisation."

Telecommunications company Nokia last year introduced employee health management services, and its human resources manager, Katrina Lindsay, says the program has given it a key point of differentiation in the market.

The program also increased the company's attractiveness as an employer, as Nokia was named No 1 employer of choice in the 2001 Australian Human Resources Awards and Australia's second best employer in a business award.

Nokia has its own gym, which is managed by Healthy Business, and a corporate health program that includes heart checks, cholesterol testing, nutrition, in-house massage, stress management, injury prevention, health promotion days and team building.

Yoga, boxing, circuit classes, personal training and group sport activities are offered as a result of the needs analysis.

As in-house gyms are often out of the question for small to medium enterprises, Healthy Business offers corporate packages including its own facilities in North Ryde or those of the In Shape gym chain.

pam@kershaw.com.au