Local Government Chronicle: For the Local Government Conference 2008: Why does well being need to be put up the agenda?
Good question.
How does ….
• 175 million working days lost due to illness in 2006;
• a cost to the tax payer of £60bn;
• loss productivity of £60bn;
• 3% of employees off sick at any one time and 7% on incapacity benefit;
• 9.2 average sick days in the public sector versus 5.8 in the private sector;
• employers spending 9% of the annual pay bill managing direct & indirect costs of absence
… grab you as a good enough reason to put well-being higher up the agenda? The Dame Carol Black Review “Working for a healthier tomorrow” highlights the huge impact of the above statistics on the economy to say the least. In the public sector, the costs of tackling absence, the effect on our services and the customer experience of failing to manage absence cannot be ignored.
Alternatively, you could look at it this way. On a more positive slant, work can be good for you. Good work relationships can help build confidence and self-esteem (boost to mental fitness).Fair pay for a fair day’s work boosts financial health (impacting on mental well being and saves on benefit payments). A stimulating and rewarding job gives individuals a sense of purpose. In view of the time which employees spend at work, it could be even better for them if, employers were to spend just some of the money sickness absence costs (see above) on investing in their well-being and helping employees to take responsibility for their own health.
So why is well-being not as high on the agenda then? It seems that many public sector organisations do not see the value of well-being. This may be because they are not aware of the research showing the costs and impact of investment in health interventions versus the costs of managing absence and associated outlays. The private sector seems to understand it though! Companies like Nike in Berlin connect their 90% customer retention results and consistently high customer satisfaction ratings to their well-being programme. Nationwide can show that through investing in well-being in one particular area of their business, over three-quarters of their staff are taking personal action to manage their own health. If recommendations from the Black review are adopted, the Government will be working with employers and representative bodies to develop a robust model for measuring and reporting on the benefits of employer investment in health and well-being. Employers may also be required to report on health and well-being in the board room and in their accounts.
What does all of that mean for Councils? Rather than waiting for people to become ill and the emphasis being on employers to “solve the problem” once the employee is absent, isn’t it time to take a more proactive and positive stance and focus on activity which makes a difference to the health of staff before they become ill? The emphasis needs to change for employees too. Giving them the tools to reflect on their own health and, information, guidance and support that they can use to improve their well-being for themselves will pay dividends. There is evidence around that shows this and maybe if we got the Accountants (instead of the “touchy-feely” HR people) to look at the ROI identified by available research, well-being might just get a look in at the corporate management team table!
By: Carol Mills, Lancashire County Council HR Director & National Lead on Wellness for the Public Sector People Management Association. Lancashire is a 4 star rated local authority with 44,000 people.