Health starts on the inside (employee well-being)

Citation

(2009), "Health starts on the inside (employee well-being)", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2009.04417aad.003

Health starts on the inside (employee well-being)

Article Type: Abstracts From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 1

North S.-J. People Management (UK), 26 June 2008, Vol. 14 No. 13, Start page: 24, No. of pages: 5

Purpose – Reviews how UK employers are promoting employee well-being by supporting them to look after their health. Discusses the business case for doing this. Design/methodology/approach – Cites the examples of Cadbury and Boots as companies that have long records of looking after employee welfare, and Google and Citigroup as companies that have recently invested in employee health and well-being. Describes the types of health and well-being initiatives that are being launched and also looks at the evidence that suggests that these initiatives contribute to employee and organizational performance. Findings – Notes statistics from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s 2007 Absence Management survey that showed a 16 percent increase in the percentage of companies that had implemented an employee well-being strategy, rising from 26 to 42 percent. Gives examples of health and well-being strategies that have reduced absences due to stress and boosted productivity. Cautions that these initiatives should not be launched in isolation but need to be part of an overall human resource strategy of the organization that includes how work is organized and people are managed. Originality/value – Assesses current attitudes to employee well-being initiatives. ISSN: 1358-6297 Reference: 37AQ310

Keywords: Health, Welfare, Organizational performance, United Kingdom