Employee health and wellbeing is a contributor to workforce productivity. the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought greater understanding and sensitivity to the correlation between employee health and wellness and workforce productivity.

As a result, more employers are undertaking a strategic review of workforce productivity through the lens of improving employee health and wellbeing.

In work environments that prioritized employee health and wellness, the data shows there was 38% more employee engagement and 70% less illness-related absenteeism. Workers tend to be more vested in the success of the business that cares for them, in action and in words.

A wellness-focused approach leads to the prevention of illness and preservation of good health. It has been proven to also identify at-risk employees and enable early lifestyle and wellness intervention thus avoiding serious illness and its consequences.

Research shows that the major cause of absenteeism is illness-related. An approach that promotes early risk assessment, focus on prevention and preservation is proven to reduce workforce absenteeism. Some of the primary illnesses that lead to absenteeism are migraines, muscle pain and indigestion. Research shows that a proactive approach to health and wellbeing can significantly eliminate the incidence of all three primary workplace concerns.

Beyond these conditions, the rise of illness led by non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer, respiratory) all remain active in the workforce and are perfect candidates for prevention through early intervention. By improving personal visibility, access and affordability employers create a positive change in the approach to health management for their employees. The access to organisational health data and employee’s health analytics leads to higher productivity yields and will translate to lower health costs and high return on investment in corporate health service programs

Collaboration between the CMO, EHS management and corporate health management in designing programs and policies to improve workplace health and well-being is an investment in the most important asset of any organization, its workers.