Workplace Stress Can Increase The Amount Of Sickness-Related Absences

Posted on by Allison Caine

Stress in the workplace has the potential to increase employee absences and reduce productivity. And stress is a very common complaint in the UK, with psychological problems including stress behind 1/5th of GP visits.

Symptoms of stress are numerous, but may include:

  • Palpitations
  • Dry Mouth
  • Headaches
  • Strange Aches And Pains
  • Loss Of Appetite

It can also lead to unhealthy behaviours such as drinking, smoking, comfort eating and drug use – which are further damaging to health.

Did you know that good management practices can help reduce work-related stress? At OHBM we can help you implement these practices within your business.

Contact us now for a chat about your organisation and how we can help.

Higher Risk Of Diabetes For Shift Workers, Study Shows

Posted on by Allison Caine

Recent research suggests that shift workers carry a nine per cent higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Males and those with rotating shift patterns were found to be most at risk. A report published in The Guardian suggests those in the emergency services could be at an increased risk due to the shift work they undertake.

The research involved examining data from 12 studies, which involved results from over 225,000 individuals. Around 15,000 of those included in the survey were living with diabetes.

Shift work appears to be linked to weight gain and an increased appetite, which are both considered risk factors for the development of diabetes.

Men who worked shifts were most at risk, at around 37 per cent more likely to develop the condition. On top of that, those working rotating shift patterns and regularly seeing different hours of the day or night were 42 per cent more likely than those working specific fixed shifts.

While this is the first study that has looked at diabetes, previously shift working has been linked to a number of different illnesses and diseases, including cancer, heart issues, and digestive problems.

In the UK there are thought to be around 850,000 people living with diabetes that has not been diagnosed. 2.9 million people in this country alone have diabetes – 90 per cent of which is type 2.

The best way to reduce the risk of diabetes is to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight.

Occupational health can help businesses introduce measures and policies that keep employees healthier and more productive, with less days off sick through illness.

 

Stress May Cause Weight Gain, Study Suggests

Posted on by Allison Caine

A study of women has shown that stress can slow metabolism and lead to weight gain. Fifty-eight women were surveyed as part of the research by Ohio State University.

The study asked the women about their stress levels on the previous day, before giving them a meal of 930 calories and 60 grams of fat. Researchers then measured how long it took for the women to burn off the calories.

The results showed that women who’d been party to stressful events during the previous day struggled to burn off as many calories as the stress-free women. In fact, stress-free women burned 104 more calories than those who had one or more stressful events occur in the previous 24 hours.

This indicates that stress could add up to increases in weight of around 11 pounds every year.

In addition, stressed women had higher levels of insulin, which also contributes to fat storage.

Stress can cause a whole host of problems, both mental and physical – and this study suggests that there is a connection between stress and weight gain. Being overweight can increase the likelihood of developing a range of illness and disease including cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Although it is impossible to avoid everything that may cause stress, especially at work, it is imperative that employers look for ways to tackle stress within the workforce. Stress is a real cause of absenteeism in the workplace, and this can have a real impact on your business’ bottom line.

OHBM can help you to cultivate a healthier, more productive workforce. Talk to the team today.

The cost of absentee employees

Posted on by Allison Caine

When members of your workforce are absent due to illness, it causes a real impact on the rest of your team and your business. Productivity is reduced and other employees have to pick up the slack causing a reduction in morale. This can easily mean your bottom line is affected.

You might not think absenteeism is manageable, but at OHBM we pride ourselves on helping companies analyse their processes, reduce avoidable illnesses and get employees back to work more quickly. Talk to the team at OHBM today on 01625 268 609 about sickness absence management.

 

3 Ways For Employers To Help Staff Deal With Stress

Posted on by Allison Caine

Workplace stress is a common problem and one which has the potential to increase the number of sickness-related absences in your workplace. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other demands placed on them. In some work situations pressure can cause motivation, but excessive pressure has the potential to cause work-related stress.

According to the NHS website, psychological problems, including stress, anxiety and depression, are behind one in five GP visits.

Stress symptoms include:

  • palpitations
  • dry mouth
  • headaches
  • strange aches and pains
  • loss of appetite for food

Employees dealing with stress may be tempted towards unhealthy behaviour such as drinking, smoking or drug use and comfort eating. This has the potential to cause further health problems.

If you’re an employer, tackling stress in the workforce can decrease the number of staff sick days, boost productivity and increase morale. The HSE believes good management practices can help reduce work-related stress and provides management standards approach to help you take practical steps to minimise stress in the workplace. At OHBM we can help you implement these methods within your business.

As an employer, some of the things you can do to reduce employee stress levels include:

Promote activity

Does your workplace have a cycle to work scheme or 5-a-side football team your employees could get involved in? Do you offer reduced rates membership for local gyms? Exercise can help employees feel stronger physically and mentally, and enable them to deal with problems more calmly.

Avoid encouraging unhealthy habits

Does your workplace have a regular Friday night out in the local pub? While socialising is a great way to build relationships, you could encourage non-alcohol related activities instead. Bowling, a visit to a climbing wall, the cinema or the theatre are all enjoyable options that don’t revolve around alcohol.

Consider work-life balance

In the UK we work the longest hours in Europe. Lots of stressed employees could mean you’re expecting to much from them. Could you offer more flexible working hours, or at-home working arrangements to your team?

Talk to the team at OHBM to help you determine the best course of action to reduce stress in your workplace and boost the overall well-being of your team.

Sickness Absence Reaches Record Lows

Posted on by Allison Caine

Research shows that sickness absence is at a record low for manufacturing employers, according to industry body EEF.

The survey took into account data from 330 firms over the last two years, which showed absence levels reaching just 2.1% overall – the equivalent of 4.9 days per employee every year.

However, while short-term sickness absences have dropped, days off for long-term illnesses have risen, and employers have also reported a rise in employees suffering from mental health problems. Two in five of the companies surveyed by the EEF said long term absence has increased during the last 24 months.

Mental ill health, musculoskeletal disorders and illnesses leading to surgery were the greatest cause of long-term absence from work in the last two years.

“Driving down absence rates, helping more employees return to work earlier and encouraging their well-being is critical for our economy. But, despite employers increasing investment in managing sickness absence and, providing their employees with more health related benefits, the improvement in overall absence rates has more or less now plateaued,” said professor Sayeed Khan, chief medical adviser at EEF.

The effects of employee absence

When workers take days off sick it affects a business’ profitability, morale and success so it is imperative organisations look for ways to improve the overall health of employees and manage absences pro-actively and effectively.

Staff absences put a strain on other members of the team and cause output to decrease. They also have the potential to cause a dip in morale. This is why businesses need to consider plans to ensure business can continue when employees are absent, as well as ways to improve team members’ overall well-being to reduce unnecessary sickness absence and speed the return to work.

According to the survey, just 46 percent of employers in the manufacturing sector pay for medical interventions. The numbers of employers offering occupational health services are more positive however; 68 percent of those surveyed offered this service as a benefit for all staff.

If you are seeking a way to reduce sickness absence in the workplace, OHBM can help you put the necessary procedures in place. Speak to our helpful and friendly team about your business today.

Workplace Drugs Testing And The Law [Video]

Posted on by Allison Caine

If you’re considering implementing workplace drugs testing, you need to be sure you’re up to speed on the legal implications of this task. While you do have a duty of protection and ensuring safety in the workplace, you can’t force a staff member to take a test.

At OHBM we can help guide you the drug testing process, whether this is something you’ve done before or you’re new to the process. Watch our video above for further information and contact the team today.

Workplace Drug-testing And The Law: Where Do You Stand?

Posted on by Allison Caine

As an employer it can be difficult to decipher the law on drug testing at work. In fact, in the UK the law if drugs-testing can be very unclear according to the TUC, because an individual can’t be charged simply because they have tested positive after a drugs test.

In the workplace however, employers have to abide by Health and Safety legislation. This means they have a duty of protection for safety in the workplace, according to the Health and Safety at Work Act. This piece of workplace law includes making sure staff members aren’t working under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.

When is drug-testing a necessity?

Workplace drugs testing is required in workplaces where the effects of drug and alcohol have the potential to cause safety risks. Employers have a legal responsibility to look after staff at work, as far as is reasonably possible.

When an employer decides to test for drugs they will need employees to agree to being tested. It should be restricted only to employees that need to be tested to mitigate risk. While it is illegal to force an individual to provide samples (including urine, hair, blood or saliva) for testing or any other purpose, refusal may be grounds for dismissal at work. This is the case only where the staff member has a contractual obligation to do so.

OHBM drug screening services

At OHBM we provide professional drug-testing services and can help you navigate the legislation associated with screening. Our services include support with writing your own policy, drug and alcohol testing, and a 24-hour call-out drug-testing service within two hours.

We can also provide after-care services such as fast-track to specialist drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

For further information talk to our team. Whether you need a testing service imminently or are concerned about how to deal with a potential problem we’re more than happy to help.

Stress Management And Wellbeing In The Workplace [Video]

Posted on by Allison Caine

One in five employees has taken time off work because of stress. Workplace pressures, long working hours, dealing with difficult clients, differences of opinion, feeling undervalued and large workloads all contribute to staff feeling stressed and unhappy. This can take its toll on both physical and mental health.

Unhealthy, unhappy team members tend to take more time off than employees who feel valued in the workplace. The impact of absentee staff has a huge impact on the workforce, who have to pick up the slack, as well as on your bottom line.

Happy, healthy employees are more productive and take less time off work. At Occupational Health Business Management we can help you to achieve this within your workforce with our stress management service. It helps you get the best from your employees, and ensures you are working within HSE guidelines, which expect you to undertake suitable risk assessments to identify potential areas of stress at work.

At OHBM we’ll work closely with your business, using audit tools to expertly identify issues. We have the ability to refer “at risk” team members at short notice to our team of psychologists for stress management, assessment and treatment programs.

Talk to OHBM about your requirements as a business, or any concerns you might have.

Two Thirds Of Staff Seek Workplace Health Support

Posted on by Allison Caine

Stress Management & Wellbeing

Almost two thirds of employees say that they would appreciate help and advice in the workplace on how to improve their health and wellbeing. According to research undertaken by Metlife, 63% of workers believe they would benefit from additional support from their employers in order to improve their health through work.

The importance of your employees’ health and wellbeing should never be underestimated. Time and again research has shown that happy, healthy employees are more productive and take less time off, which boosts a business’ bottom line.

The Consumer Intelligence study, which surveyed more than 2,000 adults, found that a fifth of employees had taken time off for stress related illness, with most workers absent for five days or more. In fact, taking time off due to stress problems was higher than taking time off for family illness and was on a par with absence due to bereavement.

It was significantly higher than the number of people absent due to sports injuries (10%) and employees who could not attend work due to hangovers or other alcohol related problems (8%).

Metlife UK employee benefits director Tom Gaynor is quoted as saying: “Stress is a major issue with one in five employees having to take time off work in the past year.

“It is clear that staff would welcome more support and help from employers on health and wellness in the workplace and it is also clear that employers have recognised the need to provide support.

“There is a genuine benefit for both employers and employees in promoting good health at work. Helping staff to be healthier cuts the cost of absence for employers and enables employees to avoid illness where possible and to recover faster.”

For more information on how you can create a healthier workforce contact the OHBM team. At Occupational Health Business Management we offer expert occupational health solutions to businesses of all sizes and statures, and can help you to get the best out of your employees.