March 30, 2020
New task force to reduce health burden of COVID-19
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has announced that it is setting up a task force to reduce the enormous health burden from COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. Its goal is to define the critical role buildings, organisations and communities play in prevention and preparedness, resilience and recovery. The task force’s work will take a broad approach, considering both new and recurring infectious agents that can affect large populations. More →
Today is the first productive day of the year for UK employees, according to new research which claims 38 working days were lost, on average, by each employee last year due to physical and mental health related absence and presenteeism. The study puts the cost to businesses and the economy of these lost days (which in reality are of course spread out across the whole year) at £91.9bn in 2019, an increase of more than £10bn on 2018. 
Flexible working can help employees manage mental illness and keep them in the workforce during difficult life events, a 
More than 40 percent of workers have a hidden health issue they’ve never disclosed to their employers, with younger employees the most likely to withhold information from their bosses, according to new research. A survey of 1,000 employees, carried out by healthcare provider 
New research from AXA PPP healthcare claims that eight out of ten (82 percent) SME business leaders don’t have a health and wellbeing strategy in place. The same research found two-thirds (24 percent) report experiencing job-related stress or anxiety and just 15 per cent believe their company provides a culture which supports their mental health. The research also claims nearly half (46 percent) of employees working in small and medium sized businesses continue working when they’re feeling unwell and less than a quarter (24 percent) see a GP because they worry about taking time off work. One-fifth (18 percent) feel guilty for taking time away from their desk for lunch and more than a quarter (27 percent) send and receive emails outside of work hours.
Research commissioned to mark today’s World Environment Day claims employees expect their employers to commit to better environmental policies and sustainability, with three quarters of office workers (73 percent) wanting their workplace to improve its sustainability policy, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) claiming they would refuse a job at an organisation with a poor sustainability record.
Not-for-profit, wellbeing provider Westfield Health has launched an online initiative to support workplace health and wellbeing which will educate employers across the UK on how they can make a positive difference within their organisation. With over half (54 percent) of businesses reporting that they don’t have any measures in place to support the health and wellbeing of their staff, 
