Absenteeism costs Australian businesses roughly $1000 per employee per year. Presenteeism – when an employee is working but less productive because of poor health – costs almost four times as much.
Governments have thrown their weight behind workplace wellness initiatives and a growing number of companies are offering some kind of programme to their workers. So why aren’t we seeing a dramatic fall in lifestyle-related illnesses, stress and depression?
Health promotion programmes commonly attempt to treat symptoms without addressing the underlying cause.
Unfortunately, using willpower to control behaviour is like holding your breath – you can do it, but only for so long. While this model may produce results in the short term they are unlikely to be sustained. Over the long term, it may even exacerbate the problem by reinforcing the feeling that ‘there’s no point in trying because I always fail’.
It’s why around 97 per cent of people who lose weight on a diet regain it all, and often a bit more.
Staying Well in the Workplace turns this model on its head
Staying Well in the Workplace puts the cause before the symptoms by helping people to build physical and emotional resilience. Easy successes spark a cycle of positive reinforcement – the better they feel, the easier it is to make choices that will make them feel better still, including what they eat, how much they exercise, whether they smoke or drink, how they manage stress and how they cope with challenge.
Because these changes are fundamental and self-rewarding, they are much more likely to persist, particularly with the benefit of regular, ongoing support.