Que pouvons-nous apprendre des entreprises les plus saines de Grande-Bretagne ?

Malheureusement, les employeurs au Royaume-Uni peuvent avoir du mal à lancer des initiatives de bien-être. Comme l'explique Shaun Subel, directeur de la stratégie chez VitalityHealth explique-t-il, ils peuvent rencontrer un certain nombre de défis dans la création d'un dossier commercial.

"First, the existence of the NHS reduces the employer's duty of care with regard to its employees’ long-term health," he says. "Second, UK employees have the highest turnover rates in Europe, meaning programmes with only long-term benefits can struggle to find strategic relevance. Third, there is no specific guidance around measuring workplace wellness."

En fin de compte, de nombreuses entreprises britanniques ne parviennent pas à investir dans la santé et le bien-être du personnel, ce qui a un effet domino sur la performance économique. C'est estimé que la perte de productivité liée à la santé (y compris l'absentéisme et la sous-performance) coûte à l'économie britannique la somme stupéfiante de 73 milliards de livres sterling par an. Cela équivaut à plus d'un mois de temps productif par personne.

Finding Britain's healthiest workplace

VitalityHealth's 'Britain's Healthiest Workplace' competition was developed in response to these challenges. An annual survey, approaching 'health' from many angles, it is designed to help companies quantify the benefits of workplace health initiatives. Since it began life in 2013, over 400 companies and 100,000 employees have taken part.

"Britain’s Healthiest Workplace links employee lifestyle choices to productivity and engagement - factors that impact the bottom line in the short term - rather than solely to long-term health outcomes, which do not," says Subel.

La compétition évalue chaque entreprise selon deux dimensions : Employé le plus sain (la santé des travailleurs eux-mêmes) et Employeur le plus sain (comment l'entreprise soutient son personnel pour être en meilleure santé). La première de ces dimensions prend en compte des facteurs tels que smoking habits, bien-être mental et activité physique niveaux. Le second examine les niveaux de lieu de travail niveaux de stress, organisational culture and the kinds of health interventions on offer.

How the winners did it

Ses lauréats de 2017 - Forster Communications, adidas UK et Nomura International - a obtenu de bons résultats sur tous ces indicateurs.

"Chez Nomura, nous avons dépassé le simple fait de fournir à nos employés l'accès à des installations médicales et de fitness, et avons élargi nos offres pour promouvoir le bien-être global," déclare un porte-parole de Nomura, la grande entreprise gagnante (plus de 1 000 employés). "Nous avons une cantine qui propose une large gamme de healthy options, a desk assessment programme to motivate movement, relaxation classes and company-sponsored sports and social clubs that are open to all employees."

Forster Communications, which was the winning small company (less than 250 employees), believes that the most successful ways of supporting employee well-being are often the simplest.

"We're a small company with limited budget, so have been creative with our interventions," says Kate Parker, the HR manager. "It’s essential to make sure you have a communications plan to remind people of what's on offer, and to keep nudging them into positive habits. Ask for feedback constantly and don’t be afraid to evolve to keep it fresh. The greatest participation has always been from ideas that our employees came up with in the first place."

The company provides its employees with accessible options to help improve their physical health - for example, free fruit in a bowl in the middle of the office, and lunchtime walking clubs. It also offers incentives to stay active, like extra holiday allowance for employees who cycle or walk to work, as well as paid time off for volunteering and flexible working practices.

Santé mentale, too, is high on the agenda. The company has spent a lot of time ensuring that everyone feels confident in seeking the help they need.

"Il est important de créer une culture où les gens se sentent en sécurité pour parler des difficultés et discuter des solutions," déclare Kate Parker. "Cela signifie être explicite sur vos politiques de santé mentale et montrer concrètement votre soutien en matière de santé mentale."

A recent survey showed that 100% of Forster’s employees were proud to work there. Its employees took an average of 2.7 days off sick last year, 7.8% less than the sector average. Nomura, meanwhile, has seen a measured reduction in presenteeism (ie underperformance due to ill health) since it started building up its health offerings.

What can other companies do?

VitalityHealth has found that, in general, the healthiest companies are those with the highest levels of employee participation in their wellness programmes. By offering rewards for taking part, they expand the reach of their programmes beyond employees who are already healthy, to those who are currently ill or at risk.

Importantly, the interventions themselves do not have to be very sophisticated to make a difference.

"En matière de bien-être au travail, toute stratégie, aussi basique soit-elle, peut produire des résultats commerciaux importants, tels que la réduction de l'altération du travail des employés et des niveaux plus élevés d'engagement des employés," déclare Shaun Subel. "Nos recherches montrent que les interventions les plus réussies ont tendance à se situer dans les domaines de l'activité physique et nutrition, et le moins réussi dans les domaines de médicaments pour l'arrêt du tabac et consommation d'alcool."

He says companies can use the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace competition as an intervention in its own right - they will receive a comprehensive analysis of their performance, highlighting areas they can improve.

"Regardless of your current approach, we believe strongly that all organisations can benefit from participation in the study," he says. "Registration est actuellement ouvert pour l'étude de 2018, avec des enquêtes disponibles plus tard dans l'année."

Kate Parker at Forster adds that, however healthy your workforce is at present, it's important not to rest on your laurels.

"Try out new well-being initiatives and most importantly, talk to your employees - what benefits do they use the most and particularly appreciate?" she says. "A thriving, productive and happy workforce needs stimulation and new ideas."