3 ways to boost productivity at work
Health and wellbeing issues are taking their toll on the UK workforce, with around nine million people economically inactive between July and September 2024.
Vitality’s recent 10 Years of Britain’s Healthiest Workplace: The Changing Face of the UK at Work report revealed a clear correlation between health risk factors and productivity losses.
The study found that in 2023:
- Employees at risk of depression lost 153% more productive time
- Employees experiencing burnout lost 121% more
- Physically inactive employees lost 29% more
- Employees with unhealthy diets lost 15% more
This resulted in employers losing about 20% of their total wage bill each year, due to health and wellbeing issues causing staff absenteeism and presenteeism.
However, Vitality’s research also found that healthier employees were up to 49 days more productive.
This shows that investing in employee health and wellbeing can significantly boost your organisation’s productivity and help to create a more resilient workforce.
Here are three ways your organisation can boost productivity in the workplace:
1. Prioritise your employees mental and physical health
With Vitality’s research finding that healthier employers were more productive, it’s clear that investing in employee health and wellbeing – both physical and mental health – brings productivity gains and helps to create a more resilient workforce.
Tips for employers:
- Support mental health: set up employee assistance programs (EAPs) and make counselling services available
- Promote physical health: encourage regular exercise, offer healthy food options and provide ergonomic workstations
2. Adapt to a shifting work environment
Flexible, remote, and hybrid working patterns have become the norm in recent years. The impact on health and productivity varies widely, as Vitality’s decade of data shows.
Different age groups adapt differently, with some employees handling the changes better than others. This mix of preferences underscores the need for more tailored approaches to support employee wellbeing.
Tips for employers:
- Where possible, offer flexible working options: let employees choose their work hours and locations to better balance work and personal life
- Provide the right tools and training: make sure employees have the technology and skills they need to work efficiently, whether in the office, at home or on the move
3. Address generational differences
Productivity levels also vary across generations. As younger employees (under 35) are losing more productive time due to higher risks of mental ill-health and financial concerns.
Older employees (50+) meanwhile lose the least productive time, on average, despite physical health challenges.
And the sandwich generation (35-50) faces increased mental health risks and financial concerns, due in part to caring responsibilities.
Tips for employers:
- Support younger employees: offer financial wellness programmes and mental health resources tailored to their needs
- Assist the ‘sandwich generation’: provide flexible working arrangements and resources for managing caregiving responsibilities
- Promote intergenerational collaboration: encourage mentorship programmes where older employees can share their experience and younger employees can bring fresh perspectives
Supporting productivity through workplace schemes
Offering your employees engaging, personalised and scientifically proven health and wellbeing interventions, alongside savings on gym memberships, healthy foods, quit-smoking programmes, mindfulness apps is a great way to support workplace wellbeing.
To encourage them to stick to healthy habits, rewards like weekly hot drinks and monthly cinema tickets offered through an evidence-based, incentivised behaviour-change programme are also proven to be effective.
With 10 times greater engagement than similar wellbeing programmes, Vitality business health insurance plans also provide fast access to GPs, everyday care services and specialist treatment when needed to help ensure employees are not just healthier but more productive too.
A version of this article recently appeared on Vitality Healthy Business Hub.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Vitality
At Vitality, we take a unique approach to insurance. As well as providing high-quality comprehensive cover, we provide a complete wellness package that can help boost employee engagement and productivity.
