LONDON: With some 650,000 employees in the UK phoning in sick to work each week, costing the economy a whopping 100 billion a year, a British charity has asked employers to encourage healthier lifestyles among staff.
Research from the British Heart Foundation charity has calculated the number of UK employees phoning in sick to work each week at two per cent of the workforce, or nearly 650,000 people.
Head of the BHF’s Health at Work program Ceri Jones has asked employers to take more responsibility for the health of those who work for them as the cost to the UK economy of absences caused by ill health is estimated at 100 billion pounds a year.
But with more than one in five health problems in the workforce related to heart and circulation conditions (16 per cent), or diabetes (6 per cent), Jones said sick leave could be significantly reduced if employers helped their workforce take simple steps towards healthier lifestyles that reduce the risk of developing these conditions.
“Stress from spending long hours at work, more of us eating fast food and not taking exercise, are clearly things that are getting worse and, while a lot of people do know what they should be doing and how they should be living, a little bit of help from employers can go a long way towards helping to change behavior,” Jones was quoted as saying by The Guardian. -PTI
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
