The Business Case for Healthy Workplace

Supporting Material

Sources:

The Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work

Public Health Agency of Canada 

Canada's Physical Activity Guide 

Physical Inactivity: A Serious Health Issue

•    63% of Canadians are not active enough to achieve optimal health benefits which leaves them at risk for premature death, chronic disease and disability.
•    While physical activity levels increased between 1981 and 1995, these increases stalled between ‘95 and ‘97;
•    In 1997 - Federal, provincial and territorial ministers recognized physical inactivity as a serious health issue and set a target to reduce inactivity by 10% by 2003.

Guide Leads the Way

Health Risks of Physical Inactivity

•    Heart disease
•    Obesity
•    High blood pressure
•    Adult-onset diabetes
•    Osteoporosis
•    Stroke
•    Depression
•    Colon cancer
•    Premature death

Health Canada Guide Recommends

•    30 - 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity most days of the week
•    That people can accumulate activity throughout the day in increments of 10 minute duration and that people should build physical activity into their daily routines
•    That physical activity should include a mix of activities that include:
- endurance activities that strengthen the heart and lungs;
- flexibility activities that keep joints flexible and mobile; and
- strength activities that help to keep the bones strong.

Why Active Living at Work?

•    15 million Canadians spend half waking hours at work
•    85% of Canadians value physical activity
•    Canadians need help in making active choices easy choices
•    Stress-related illness is on the increase and a majority recognize that physical activity will reduce stress
•    The environments in which people live, learn, work and play have a significant impact on health
•    Enabling physical activity can make a difference

Benefits of Active Living at Work

•    Improved fitness and health
•    Improved productivity and morale
•    Improved job satisfaction and team spirit
•    Reduced stress and back injuries
•    Benefits of Active Living at Work
•    Reduced absenteeism and turnover
•    Reduced stress and back injuries
•    Reduced workplace injuries
•    Reduced worker's compensation costs
•    Reduced claims against group benefit plans
•    Improved productivity

Why Now?

•    Canadians are concerned about health care and health - Canadians consider these two of the most important issues/priorities facing Canada.
•    Quality of life is also high on the public agenda and it is likely to gain in importance.
•    The population is aging and will become increasingly concerned about health issues and quality of life.
•    Business is concerned about costs and global competitiveness. Ideas that show how to save on the costs of benefits, how to recruit and retain employees, and how to improve morale could become increasingly important to employers in this new Millennium.
•    People cite the following barriers to physical activity:
- Lack of time
- Lack of energy
- Lack of motivation
•    52% of the workforce has little access to workplace health promotion (Source: Buffet Taylor Report 2000)

Physical Activity Could Play a Role in Meeting CEO Priorities

•    Increasing profitability
•    Attracting and retaining high-caliber employees
•    Expanding the number of markets in which they do business
•    Growth through mergers and acquisitions
•    Increasing productivity
•    Launching new products and services
•    Obtaining new capital or financing

Employee Priorities for Improving or Maintaining Health

Employee priorities for improving or maintaining their health are:

•    Physical Activity 69.1%
•    Lose weight 52.8%
•    Learn to cope better with stress and worry 37.7%
•    Eat better 34.2%
•    Remove a major source of stress or worry from my life 28.6%
•    Drink less coffee or tea 19.8%
•    Quit smoking, or smoke less 17.7%
•    Change jobs 11.2%
•    Change my home situation 7.0%
•    Drink less alcohol 6.0%

It's interesting to note that the top three can all be addressed by active living.

As the Minister of Health said in his recent speech to the CMA: “It is often the individual who must secure his/her health. But individuals need support. They want to be informed.”

Employees Say Employers Can Help By

Employees say that employers should:

•    Communicate more openly with employees 45.1%
•    Provide recreational or exercise facilities 40.8%
•    Train supervisors/managers to be more sensitive to employee concerns 0.4%
•    Provide or support stress control programs 39.5%
•    Encourage employees to improve their health 39.0%

Principles of Successful Program Design

Program design is an important element that contributes to the success or failure of Active Living at Work strategies.
The design principles that result in success have been identified as:

•    Leadership Commitment
•    Clear Purpose
•    Inclusion (employee participation)
•    Integration
•    Key influence areas / supports

These are parallel to almost very other set of management of change principles.

Program Components

•    Health promotion - that is education and information about the benefits of active living;
•    Employee fitness which includes assistance with the assessment of fitness levels and assistance in developing corrective action plans as necessary; and
•    Thirdly, employee recreation. Providing opportunities for employees to participate in active living programs.

Benefit Cost Trends in Your Organization

Evidence Suggests a conciderable Return on Investment for Business

•    Canada Life Study in 70's found a return of $1.95 - $3.75 per employee per dollar spent on corporate wellness programs
•    Municipal employees in Toronto: missed 3.5 fewer days in first six months of “Metro Fit” program
•    BC Hydro employees enrolled in the fitness program had a turnover rate of 3.5% compared to company average of 10.3%
•    Canadian Life Assurance Company found that turnover rate for fitness program participants was 32.4% lower than average over seven years.