Helping staff to stay healthy not only benefits the employee directly but can also reduce sickness levels and the negative effects this can have on morale, customers and the bottom line.
The British Heart Foundation states that employees “consume at least a third of their daily calorie intake whilst at work.” Furthermore, having a workforce which is more alert and productive leads to both the employers and employees reaping the benefits!

Employers have a legal obligation to provide clean drinking water and eating facilities, but for very little extra they can provide a lot more.

Encouraging lunch breaks is a great place to start and making them a social occasion and fun will also act as a team building exercise. Why not try organising an ‘Eat Well Challenge’ where healthy lunch ideas are shared and food from across all cultures can be experienced.

There are some national events that you could also consider prompting to raise awareness with staff such as:

• Monday 10th October 2011 - World Mental Health Day
• Wednesday 2nd November 2011 - National Stress Awareness Day “Wellbeing and Resilience at Work”
• 14 November 2011 - 18 November 2011 - National Commute Smart Week

Inevitably staff will still be unwell and off sick, and therefore it is imperative that every organisation has a clear absence management policy and procedure as legislation requires employers to provide staff with information on any terms and conditions relating to sickness or injury, including any provision for sick pay.

Take some time to health check your policy to ensure it contains:

• details of contractual sick pay terms and its relationship with statutory sick pay
• details of how employees should notify the business of their sickness absence
• details of when a self-certificate form is required
• when they need to obtain a fit note from their doctor
• details of occupational health involvement or contacting the employee’s Doctor
• information pertaining to the return-to-work interviews.

It may also be beneficial to consider training opportunities for line managers on how to deal with managing sickness absence; often this is an area that in itself causes stress and anxiety for the managers involved.

For more information please contact Insight on 08448 79 76 79 or email info@insight-hr.co.uk.