Health in the Workplace - 'a healthy workforce is a productive workforce'

Following on from three successful themed years for the Suffolk Chamber, with 2009 Year of Skills, 2010 Digital Suffolk and 2011 Suffolk - A Shared Community, Suffolk Chamber, working with Healthy Ambitions Suffolk (HAS) has launched their themed year for 2012 - “Health in the Workplace”.

This theme is designed to inform and inspire local business about the benefits of introducing a health and wellbeing programme into its organisation.   

Whether it’s for a minor cold or a more complex, long-term issue, every employee will need to take time off due to illness at some point during their working lives.  The challenge business has is that absenteeism carries a huge financial burden, with more than 175 million working days lost every year due to illness and incapacity, costing the British economy approximately £100 billion.

“Our campaign is aimed at Suffolk businesses, but particularly SMEs,” said the President of Suffolk Chamber, Dr Peter Funnell.  “We are creating awareness of the economic benefits of introducing a health and wellbeing programme in a business and signpost to solution providers.”

“At this tough economic time, it is fundamental that business gets the support to ensure it has a healthy workforce without adding to the work it already has to undertake.  Our campaign is offering real and evidence based advice on what can help small and medium sized enterprises do their jobs,” he added.

The themed year, which ties in with the county’s and the nations focus on the London Olympics, was launched at the Healthy Ambitions Suffolk Awards during a special event at Ipswich’s Trinity Park.

The awards ceremony saw Gold and Silver awards handed out to reflect the commitment made by each organisation in promoting workplace health.  Special awards were also introduced for those organisations showing exemplary levels of achievement.

Special awards were given to the Suffolk Constabulary headquarters at Martlesham and to the Suffolk Housing Association in Bury St Edmunds.  Both organisations have introduced an impressive and varied range of healthy initiatives and systems for their staff over the past 12 months.

Sally Hogg, Deputy Director of Public Health and Company Secretary of Healthy Ambitions Suffolk Ltd, said: “We were extremely pleased to be able to publicly congratulate these companies for the work which has taken place to help improve the health and wellbeing of their staff.  Protecting the health of staff can bring huge benefits to a business, including considerable financial savings, fewer sickness absences and increased productivity.”

The "Health in the Workplace" campaign is helping to:

Reduce...

Stress, sickness absence rates, staff turnover, recruitment costs, liability/litigation costs.

Improve...

Staff engagement and satisfaction, staff retention, productivity, product and service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Suffolk Chamber will be hosting themed events throughout 2012 at which inspiring speakers will attend to share their experiences and the benefits of health in the workplace.

For further details of these events or to book a place please click here.

Healthy Ambitions Suffolk - e-bulletins