UK productivity is at a crossroads
Looking after people at work can no longer be an afterthought for UK businesses says Dame Carol Black GBE, government policy adviser and workplace wellbeing expert
UK economic inactivity has been making headline news since the pandemic. This life-changing outbreak in 2020 is often pinpointed as a key turning point at which our nation’s productivity problem came sharply into focus, alongside the declining health of the nation.
In truth, as the latest findings show, the origins of this downward trend in UK productivity can be traced back before that.
10 years of employee wellbeing insights
Over the past 10 years, Britain’s Healthiest Workplace - the UK’s largest survey of employee wellbeing - has gathered deep insights into the many risk factors faced by employees. This period has seen staff productivity dwindle significantly and consistently, with lost productivity doubling over the course of a decade.
“A healthier, happier, more productive workforce is good for everyone"
Professor Dame Carol Black
These findings mirror what other organisations report, with the Health Foundation predicting that more than nine million people in the UK will be living with a major chronic illness by 2040.[1]
Given our ever-diminishing economic productivity rates compared to the United States, Germany and France[2], this issue is now a pressing concern for the government and businesses of all sizes.
Looking after staff is no longer an after-thought
Today we live in an age when a caring and supportive employer is expected. The pandemic ushered in mass flexible working, a practice that continues to attract much debate, and we are living in a state of social flux, both nationally and globally. This is felt just as keenly in the workplace as at home. Looking after staff is no longer an after-thought – the right thing to do - but recognised as bringing benefits to growth and productivity.
Over the past 10 years, over 600 employers and almost 200,000 employees have participated in Britain’s Healthiest Workplace, and the wealth of data generated helps to confirm that the physical and mental health of employees are intrinsically linked with their productivity at work.
This directly impacts businesses, most significantly through absenteeism and presenteeism (where employees turn up but are unable to perform at their best). Two-thirds of presenteeism is attributed to mental ill-health, which is rising year on year, especially among younger workers.
By connecting the dots and drawing conclusions on workplace wellbeing trends, the BHW data conveys an overarching message: that a healthier, happier and more productive workforce is better for everyone. Staff and their families benefit and so do the employing businesses which then help improve our nation’s economy when it is so clearly needed.
Find out more and download the report here
Are you a employee benefits consultant or health adviser? Find out more about how you support your business clients here
[1] Health in 2040: Projected patterns of illness in England - The Health Foundation
[2]The UK’s productivity gap: what did it look like twenty years ago? - Economics Observatory
10 Years of Britain's Healthiest Workplace
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