Employers are losing up to 27 days of productive time per employee each year as a result of high stress and lack of physical activity, new research has revealed.
The study, which was conducted by VitalityHealth, Mercer, the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe, found that productivity varies enormously between industries, with some sectors losing almost 27 days of productive time per employee compared to a national average of 23.5 days.
Healthcare and financial services lose 26.6 and 24.9 days per employee a year respectively, while high-tech loses just 18.9 days.
The financial implications of this loss are huge, with the UK losing £57 billion a year on average in productivity.
Work-related stress apparently plays a significant role in the productivity losses incurred, with 73% of employees nationally suffering from at least one dimension of work-related stress.
Those industries with higher productivity losses typically have higher levels of work-related stress.
Physical activity levels in financial services are in line with the national average, but in healthcare fall below the average of 64.4%, with just 62.2% of workers falling in the healthy range.
The high-tech industry, on the other hand, scores highest in the productivity stakes, losing just 19 days per employee per year. High-tech employees are the most physically active, with 71.5% of employees in the healthy range, and are also the least stressed.
“We would urge all companies, and especially those in sectors suffering from acute productivity loss, to invest in the health and wellbeing of their staff,” said Shaun Subel, Strategy Director at VitalityHealth. “Reducing workplace stress and encouraging employees to stay physically active should help increase productivity levels and protect the business bottom line.”
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