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New guide from Acas to help businesses promote healthy workplace

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A new guide from Acas aims to help businesses to promote and manage a healthy workplace. Benefits of ensuring employees are healthy at work can include reduced absenteeism and greater loyalty, which in turn, can improve the productivity of the business.

The launch of the new 'Health, Work and Wellbeing' guide coincides with findings from a review of the health of the working age population released by National Director for Health and Work, Dame Carol Black.

The review revealed that ill health costs the British economy £100 billion and suggested that businesses should try to reduce the cost of ill health by investing in improving the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Key areas covered in the Health, Work and Wellbeing guide include:

• How to recognise health problems with your employees
• What makes a healthy workplace
• A health, work and wellbeing checklist
• Further sources of expert information on health, work and wellbeing

Ed Sweeney, Acas Chair commented: 'The review by Dame Carol Black shows that creating a healthy workplace has strong benefits for individuals and organisations. It also places a lot emphasis on the role early intervention can play in reducing the problem of ill health at work – this ties in strongly with Acas' 'prevention over cure' approach to dealing with wider employment issues."

"Work can have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing which in turn can boost productivity and effectiveness of a business. Our guide can help businesses to develop good workplace relationships so that managers are fully trained in people skills and employees are valued and content."

Key indicators of a healthy workplace:

You can find more useful advice on this subject with our guides on;

• Spotting and tackling stress in the workplace
• Employees on long term sick leave
• Developing and training your staff.

Posted March 28, 2008