How healthy is the company you keep?

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Most of us spend nearly 2,000 hours a year at them, so it’s no surprise workplaces can have a dramatic impact on our health. Recent research has found even the amount of daylight streaming into an office can influence the number of sick days employees take. So just think what a difference bigger initiatives, such as nutritious canteen food or an on-site gym, can make to the health of a workforce.

That’s why, for the past two years, Britain’s Healthiest Company – a joint initiative between VitalityHealth (the new name for PruHealth), Mercer and the Telegraph – has set out to make Britain’s workplaces healthier. It gives employers valuable insights into the well-being of workers and celebrates companies looking out for their people.

The initiative is back this year, so if your company has at least 50 employees, it’s time to sign up for your annual comprehensive survey of health and well-being. A healthier company can make for a healthier bottom line.

“The pervasive effect our lifestyles have not only on our own health, but that of the economy as well, is startling,” says Neville Koopowitz, chief executive of VitalityHealth. “When we calculated the Vitality Age, or ‘health age’, of the 25,000 or so respondents to the [2014] survey, it was almost four years older than the real age… Our workforce is, in effect, four years older than it should be. This has a dramatic impact on productivity. When we calculated the impact, it came to 7.78pc of the wage bill of a typical company. This amounts to a cost of £58 billion a year for Britain as a result of lost productivity.”

Last year’s winners proved prioritising employee health also boosts output. Adidas UK won Britain’s Healthiest Company 2014 (medium-sized), with its Wellness International programme, which gives employees access to experts, including doctors, nutritionists, physiologists and psychologists. The company loses 2.5 days to sick leave per employee per year, compared with an industry average of almost six.

Tony Wood, UK leader of employee health & benefits, Mercer, said: “We now have direct evidence to prove organisations who invest in the health of their people have a competitive advantage. The top 20pc of organisations in Britain’s Healthiest Company 2014 had 41pc less lost productivity than the lowest 20pc of organisations. This should place wellness firmly on the agenda of business leaders.”

At biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, which won Britain’s Healthiest Company 2014 (small-sized), “wellness days” enable employees to learn how to keep fit, as well as have blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol and glucose levels tested. As Vitality members, staff earn points by giving up smoking or walking 7,000 steps a day. Points become discounts on purchases such as Eurostar tickets and hotels.

Sportswear retailer Sweaty Betty scooped the Healthiest Employees award (medium-sized), with a workforce that really lives the brand. There are free gym facilities at its HQ, as well as five complementary fitness classes a week.

But every company can do something to tackle their employees’ health risks, no matter how modest their budget. Taking part in Britain’s Healthiest Company is just the start of the process.

The first step to finding out what shape your company’s in is to complete an online Corporate Health Assessment. It will take 25 minutes, and asks about issues such as health facilities and employee benefits. Once completed, it will then be your employees’ turn to have their say, each answering a 15- to 20-minute survey about everything from diet to exercise and stress. You’ll receive support to get staff involved, including posters, desk drop and email templates. Each employee will receive a health report with suggestions on how to improve their well-being. They will also be told their Vitality Age, a VitalityHealth tool that calculates age in terms of risk of ill-health.

The company will receive a Corporate Health Report, produced from research and analysis by the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe, which collaborate through Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research. It will provide a thorough analysis of the main health risks facing employees, a combined Vitality Age for the company, and tailored recommendations based on your company’s risk profile. Your company will be benchmarked against other entrants, with an opportunity to review your results and receive additional insight in a feedback session.

The icing on the cake would be to win one of the Britain’s Healthiest Company awards. But either way, you’ll be better placed to get your workforce in healthy, working order in 2015, which will pay dividends for them – and you.Read more at:www.marieprom.co.uk/blue-prom-dresses