Businesses 'neglecting staff wellbeing'
07 July 2010
A "bunker mentality" which sees companies focusing solely on product and profitability is causing them to neglect staff health and wellbeing, according to Aviva.
Categories:
Working life
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Health & wellbeing
By Helen Mayson
The insurer's annual Health of the Workplace survey highlighted that 39% of employers' prime aim is to foster a highly productive team, while maximum productivity per head count is a priority for 31% of bosses.
However, it appears that this could be having an adverse effect on employees' health, with nearly half (47%) saying they feel much tenser at work than at home, while 45% admitted to being stressed at work.
It was also found that many employers recognise the need to focus on workers' wellbeing, with over a quarter (29%) admitting they could do more to improve their staff's work/life balance.
Dr. Doug Wright, principal clinical consultant at Aviva UK Health, commented: "While employers are making some very positive moves towards creating a healthy workplace environment, the overwhelming priority is still on financial performance.
"In the short term, this strategy can sustain a business through a difficult trading period, but it will undermine business performance in the longer term by damaging staff morale and allowing conditions like stress to flourish."
Last month, research by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy highlighted that bad habits such as not taking sufficient breaks are damaging workers' health.