Drivers of employee health are also poorly understood, despite their clear relationship with performance. In many cases companies appear reluctant or unable to learn about their own employees and working environment, despite all the potential benefits that could bring.
Presenteeism is another invisible issue that businesses, even when aware of it, are unsure of how to address. One in five people suffer stress in the workplace at any given time: this is often built on issues of stress outside of the workplace. Problems are managed and decisions made in isolation, without seeing the bigger picture, and this silo approach greatly restricts the ability to impact on both individual and corporate health. Insurance firms are treated as adversaries, instead of being brought to the heart of things and involved in the understanding and management process – as a result premiums are inflated and response times are slow.
No understanding, no early intervention, no proactive rehabilitation, no control. It doesn’t have to be this way.