Transparency is extremely important to us, so we are letting you know that we may receive a commission on some of links you click on from this page. See our disclaimer.

Yesterday we brought you insights into How Businesses are Connecting Locally to Improve Wellness. Today, more information on a related topic, via USA Today, which recently ran a piece titled “Businesses, governments boost workforce health.”

The piece notes that “concerned about lost productivity for a personal or family health problem, commerce and health organizations are teaming up to encourage communities and companies — not just large employers offering wellness programs — to create a healthier workforce.”

Indeed, it notes a remarkable statistic that such lost productivity “costs U.S. employers at least $226 billion a year, according to a study of the American Productivity Audit.”

The post continues: “Many businesses haven’t invested in their employees’ well being, because they don't understand the cost of unhealthy workers either taking sick leave or being unproductive at work, said Richard Crespin, senior fellow at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.”

“While employers generally track workers’ health-related absent days, the larger cost of presenteeism — working while sick — is often invisible, said Buzz Stewart, main author of the productivity study. His team called a random sample of almost 29,000 workers throughout 2002 and asked them to recall whether health-related conditions had affected their work productivity in the previous two weeks.”

The below video provides additional stats and information: