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Yesterday we noted that the UK is addressing workplace wellness concerns in a novel way: A “new code of practice for employers to improve health and wellbeing for staff.”

Workplace Insight outlines that Britain businesses are fighting many of the same challenges as U.S. businesses:

• “137 million working days were lost to sick leave in the UK in 2016, with organisations spending £9 billion each year on sick pay and associated costs.”
• “The cost of ‘presenteeism’ – where employees attend work whilst ill and do not work efficiently – has also risen sharply in recent years.”

What does the Code look like?

Workplace Insights notes that “The code of practice, PAS 3002, provides recommendations to establish, promote, maintain and review the health and wellbeing of workers within an organisation. It considers how health and wellbeing should be incorporated into the working environment and how leadership can ensure health and wellbeing related services are available to employees.”

The Code offers “five key principles to form the basis of an organisation’s approach:”

1. “Capitalise on diversity and inclusion as an organisational strength”
2. “Proactively support the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of workers”
3. “Foster a work culture that offers strong, ethical relationships, a collaborative and communicative management style, and an organizational culture in which learning and development are encouraged”
4. “Ensure jobs are designed so that they offer meaningful work; and”
5. “Support good people management policies and practices”

Said Anne Hayes, Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI: “Health and wellbeing should be everyone’s concern within an organisation. Increasingly, organisations are being asked to meet their responsibilities in relation to health and wellbeing in order to provide healthy workplaces and to protect people from harm. Enhancing employee wellbeing and engagement is at heart of this code of practice, and PAS 3002 provides guidance for organisations to provide early intervention to help prevent people being absent for health reasons and to use the workplace to promote individual health and wellbeing.”