The results highlighted that 87 per cent of boards now discuss health and well-being on a regular basis and 41per cent consider it to be a strategic priority.
The research, carried out with 100 HR and finance directors of companies with more than 1,000 employees, found that the health and well-being of staff was seen as a strategic priority by as many of the finance directors questioned as the HR directors and that 60 per cent of them saw workplace health as a threat to the company's, and the country’s, productivity and competitiveness.
Specific issues
On the issue of specific health and well-being issues, finance directors were found to be more concerned than HR expressing concerns about long working hours (74 compared to 56 per cent), lack of exercise (58 compared to 20 per cent) and workplace bullying (50 against 24 per cent).
The report concludes that finance directors now appreciate the impact of health and well-being on their business and are engaging with the wider health and well-being agenda.
Major impact
Finance and HR directors, working together to identify the resources and implement appropriate policies, can have a major impact on the health and well-being of staff and of their organisation.