A health expert has claimed that employers should be doing more to protect the health of their employees.
Chris Andrews, managing director of workplace fitness organisation Personal Touch Fitness, made the claims when talking to employeebenefits.co.uk. She claims that if a company has adequate space, they should try to bring fitness classes into the workplace.Ms Andrews also recommended that nutrition seminars be included so that employees are taught about healthy eating. It is claimed that these healthy measures could help improve the heart health of employees. This is vital, considering coronary heart disease (CHD) is the UK’s biggest killer, the NHS says, causing 82,000 deaths per year.
Prevention methods for workplace illness could also help employers boost their prosperity in austerity due to less sick leave amongst employees and a more motivated workforce.
Other recommendations to help boost employees’ heart health and well-being overall included long lunch breaks and high levels of engagement between employers/employees.
It was also announced today that biopharmaceutical group Quintiles has been crowned Britain’s healthiest large company, thanks to its employee health and wellness programmes, according to privatehealth.co.uk – something which might inspire other businesses to follow suit. The honours were arranged by health insurer PruHealth alongside consulting firm Mercer and the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.