5 Steps to Improving Staff Performance
Lady Cycling to Meeting
- A healthy, committed workforce is vital to business success Organisations that have implemented physical activity programmes have seen an improvement in team working and inter-departmental communications.
- A well-designed ‘wellness’ programme can help improve an organisation’s external reputation, therefore helping to attract and retain quality staff. High staff turnover can be extremely expensive; the average recruitment cost per employee is £7,750.
- A well-designed ‘wellness’ programme can increase employee job satisfaction and reduce staff turnover by between 10 and 25% Workplace wellness programmes can increase staff morale and when people are satisfied with their job, they are more productive and tend to be healthier.
- A well-designed ‘wellness’ programme can help to improve productivity levels Reduced performance and productivity at work due to ill health (‘presenteeism’) could cost employers two to seven times more than absenteeism. Productivity levels, both in terms of presenteeism and in general, have been found to increase after the implementation of ‘wellness’ programmes.
- A well-designed ‘wellness’ programme can reduce sickness On average, sickness absence costs employers 8.4 working days per employee per year. Physical activity programmes at work have been found to reduce absenteeism by up to 20%; physically active workers take 27% fewer sick days. Staff also have an increased awareness and knowledge of ways to improve their health.
Research has also been carried out which shows how exercise therapy is an effective treatment for certain mental health issues. Therefore an effective workplace wellness programme which combines exercise, nutrition and stress management could be used to reduce long term sickness due to both physical and mental health conditions.
