News

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.

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.

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.

 

Sun Protection Information For Employers

Posted on by Allison Caine

outdoor workers

We all welcome a little sunshine as spring and summer roll around, and this can make the job much more pleasant for outdoor workers. But as an employer you have the responsibility for the health of those employees who work outside most of the day, and the risks associated with hot, sunny weather.

If you’re a manager or an employer of people who work outside, you might find the following information helpful.

Risks of working in hot and sunny conditions

The sun’s UV rays can cause skin damage, including sun burn, ageing and skin cancer. This should be considered a hazard for people working outside. Heat can cause dehydration, so drink plenty of water.

Tips for employers

Make sure you pass on information about working outside in your routine health and safety training, informing employees that a tan is not healthy.

Encourage outdoor workers to regularly check their skin for strange spots and moles changing colour or size, and to seek medical advice if there is any concern.

Educate employees about the importance of staying hydrated and seeking areas of shade during their breaks. Situate break areas and water points in locations of shade.

Encourage workers to stay covered up, using hats and long sleeved tops, and regularly apply sunscreen.

The benefits

By ensuring your workforce is well equipped to deal with hot and sunny conditions and educated about the risks involved, you reduce the amount of employee health problems and sick days. Find further information within the HSE’s sun protection leaflet or speak to the team at OHBM.

What is occupational health?

Posted on by Allison Caine

In the UK every year 170 million days are lost to sickness absence according to statistics published on the NHS website. The cost of this is level of sickness on the British economy is estimated to be around £100 billion every year, according to statistics published by the Government’s Black Review, which studied the health of the population at working age.

Workplace

Occupational health advisors help you to keep your staff physically and mentally fit, allowing them to work more productively and take less time off due to sickness. The healthier your employees, the better your business performs. This is why an occupational health advisor is a vital aspect of your business.

Elements of your occupational health plan might include the following:

  • Eliminating health risks within your business
  • Ensuring you are meeting your statutory responsibilities
  • Providing health surveillance and screening facilities
  • Advice regarding long-term health problems
  • Reducing short-term sickness
  • Promoting wellbeing services in order to retain staff and boost productivity

OHBM helps businesses in a number of different sectors – from building sites to offices – to improve their business prospects through occupational health. If you’re still wondering “What is occupational health, and how would it work in my business setting?” contact us for further details.

Lack Of Effective Health Programs Costs £100billion A Year

Posted on by Allison Caine

Recent research has shown that the lack of understanding of effective health and wellbeing in the workforce is costing the UK economy more than £100billion a year. By tackling poor workplace health using more effective methods, the report says, the country could boost its GDP considerably.

UK productivity levels are at risk if companies ignore employee health, which could lead to a slower economic recovery for the country.

Of those workplaces that are looking into methods of effective health and wellbeing, too many are wasting their time and money on ineffective methods.

The study, which comes from the University of Salford and public health research consultants Caville Associates says that time and money is being wasted due to poor planning and execution of occupational health initiatives. This is despite the fact that there has been an increase in investment in workplace health over the last few years.

In answer to the problem, workplaces are being asked to form strategic partnerships to boost success rates of occupational health schemes. Asking advice from experts in the field such as OHBM, allows businesses to boost the success rates of their schemes by utilising the knowledge and experience of qualified industry professionals.

If you are seeking a way to implement a successful occupational health programme in your organisation, please speak to our advisers today. We offer free, impartial advice to senior managers, as well as a complementary analysis of your organisation, allowing you to make an informed decision.

OHBM Ltd & Brabners HR Forum Manchester – 2nd April

Posted on by Allison Caine

                     

 

OHBM Ltd & Brabners HR Forum – Manchester

 

We’d be delighted if you could join us for our OHBM/Brabners HR Forum in Manchester on 2 April 2014

 

Our hot topic for this session will be: Staff health and wellbeing.  Come along, share best practice and increase your knowledge and experience. Come along and find out the answers to all your difficult questions!

 

Our HR Forum is a networking group aimed at HR and operations managers, together with anyone who is responsible for managing people in their organisation.

 

This is a perfect opportunity for you to get up to date whilst building up a supportive network of like minded colleagues.

 

Who should attend?

HR Professionals

Operations Managers

Event Details

Cost: Free – but advanced booking in required

Date: 2 April 2014

Venue: Brabners, 55 King Street, Manchester, M2 4LQ

 

Timings

8:00am: Registration, refreshments and networking

8:30am: Welcome and introduction

8:40am: Round table discussion followed by Q&A

9:45am: Close

 

Confirmations

You will receive a confirmation email one week prior to the event which will include map/directions and details of car parking facilities located near to the venue.