Britain's healthiest workplaces revealed

Promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace isn't just good for your employees: it makes sense from a business point of view.

By helping to prevent stress and create a positive working environment, health and wellbeing initiatives can go a long way towards maximising employee engagement and organisational performance.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows that the average level of employee absence is 5.9 days per employee per year. And while that figure has been falling over the last decade, it masks the fact that most people continue to work when unwell, and many employees even use holiday or sick leave to work.

The UK's ageing workforce also means that employers will increasingly need to ensure they are taking a more strategic approach to supporting the health and wellbeing of their employees, the CIPD pointed out.

So which organisations are ahead of their rivals when it comes to supporting employee health?

Health and life insurance and investments company Vitality's latest Britain's Healthiest Workplace 2019 study reveals that Johnson & Johnson, Adidas UK and Wellness International Ltd are the healthiest places to work in Britain.

It's the seventh year in a row that Adidas UK has earned first place in the medium-sized category and the second time Wellness International has been named number one in the small classification. Johnson & Johnson overtook last year's large-sized company winner Nomura International, having previously won in 2015.

The annual study examines the link between employee health and lifestyle choices, the work environment, and business-critical outcomes such as productivity and engagement. Employee health factors including physical activity, nutrition and smoking habits are combined with management efforts on fostering a wellbeing culture and use of workplace wellness interventions, facilities and services.

According to Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, the findings demonstrate "how a well-structured and comprehensive workplace wellness programme can lead to improved business performance".

Koopowitz added: "Employees' poor lifestyles not only impact on their own health, but their companies are exposed to lost productivity and increased costs. When employers prioritise their employees' health and wellbeing and provide accessible wellness interventions they not only boost business performance, but ultimately contribute to their employees overall health, and in turn support society as a whole."

All employers that participate in the study receive an in-depth health profile, while employees who complete the survey receive an individual personal health report.

"Participating in Britain's Healthiest Workplace is an easy first step in a robust evaluation of the health of an organisation," said Chris Bailey, partner at Mercer Marsh Benefits. "Although the findings can uncover some uncomfortable truths it is the organisations and leaders who face these that see continued returns."

Fidelius is experienced not only in designing employee benefit programmes, but also reviewing and ensuring what a company has is fit for purpose. We can provide the knowledge and support you need to design and implement health and wellbeing initiatives to meet your objectives. Contact us to discuss this in more detail!