EG Workplace Summit: Wellness schemes slash almost a third off the cost of absenteeism for occupiers, while sick days cost the UK economy £16bn a year.
The figures were revealed by consultant Despina Katsikakis at EG’s 2016 Workplace Summit when she outlined the benefits to business of health and wellbeing initiatives in the workplace.
She said: “We spend 90% of our time indoors and when we’re in the office, we’re sitting 82% of the time.
“Organisations that have integrated wellness programmes tend to reduce their absenteeism costs by 27%. That is a significant impact on the bottom line.”
But it was unclear where the responsibility for wellness programmes lies.
“There is a cost to it,” added Landid director Chris Hiatt. “Our marketing colleagues argue that it’s part of the construction cost. Our construction colleagues say it’s marketing.”
Katsikakis said: “Corporate real estate is rewarded for reducing cost per square foot, therefore it is hard to measure on that front.
“If you add in how you measure employee engagement, innovation, clarity, the ability to make better, faster decisions and better working, the metrics begin to shift. You need to create a balanced scorecard for all of these things and look at who the stakeholders are and measure it accordingly.”
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