Making the link between health and productivity at the workplace – A global perspective

Making the link between health and productivity at the workplace – A global perspective

The health of employees is rapidly becoming a key business factor. Sick leave is becoming a huge problem. In Europe the top three employer objectives driving health promotion initiatives are: Improving productivity/presenteeism*, improve workforce morale/engagement and reduce employee absences.

The most popular health promotion elements are biometric health screenings (e.g. blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat), health risk appraisals (health and lifestyle questionnaires) and executive screening programmes, immunisations and gym/fitness club membership discounts.

Employers have recently become interested in the measurement of presenteeism, since absenteeism figures can be difficult to trace back to health issues and are automatically depressed during tough economic times. Most of the presenteeism research comes out of the United States; Burton, Chen and Conti (2006) showed that productivity loss increased as health risks increased and vice versa. According to the Harvard Business review lost productivity due to presenteeism is, on average 7.5 times greater than that lost to absenteeism.

Making the link between employee health and productivity is a necessary step to assess the full impact of poor health, but the next step is even more important: to improve the health and employees, provide good working conditions and with that increase morale, motivation and performance. This is only sustainable with an integrated health management approach.

Health management includes an integrated collection of data and delivery of services across health promotion such as occupational health, disease management, workers compensation and disability case management. One of the most important principles in health management is to address the health of all employees, not only the sick and disabled ones.

A multi-component health promotion programme improves both individual health status and work performance. Innovative and award winning programmes include two main features in order to achieve good health for the employees and increased productivity:
1. An integrated health management approach breaking down existing silos
2. A holistic approach addressing psychosocial factors as well as individual health issues.



* Defined by the author as: degree employees are present at work but limited in their job performances by health problems (physical and mental)

Kirsten, W., (2010) Making the Link between Health and Productivity at the workplace – a Global Perspective. Industrial Health; 48:251 – 255.