Productivity
Whilst the direct costs of absence are high, an even greater opportunity for performance improvement lies in the 25% of people at work on any one day who are under-performing due to sub-optimal physical and/or mental health (an estimate from the Work Foundation). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has also estimated that half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill, and up to 5 million feel ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed by their work. This situation can lead to ‘presenteeism’ – where employees come to work in spite of illness. The costs of physical and mental strain will dwarf those of the absent workers – and yet are rarely the subject of management scrutiny or action.
Physical and mental strain can impact many aspects of productivity, including the level of rework. For example, the amount of rework in a top organisation is about 15%, but in organisations with poor people management practices, as well as employees who are unwell, the figure can be as high as 40% (source: global productivity experts Metra Proudfoot).
On top of this, no matter the sector or size of employer, there is almost universal and continual pressure to find smarter ways of working. Organisations are expected year on year to find ways of delivering higher and higher levels of performance - sales; costs; profits; returns for shareholders and so on. This challenge has been going on for many years and is often met by investments in computing; new work processes; marketing; training and employee development to name a few. Leaders of all types are looking for new ways of continuously improving which is why Wellness Management is so appealing as it offers a new generation of people management. New opportunities for improvements are available – sometimes within hours that are sustainable for years.
The ROI in personal wellness can yield short term (within hours / days) as well as long term benefits. In the short term, for example, personal energy levels can be boosted by managing issues such as sleep and mental health problems This situation was described during one particular project by an administrator in the NHS, after her coaching session with WellKom she came back the following morning having had the best night sleep for months. This pattern continued, giving her the platform to make significant and lasting changes which had a positive impact in terms of both performance and attendance at work.