With more than two-thirds of UK businesses facing a skills shortage, are employers doing enough to remain a competitive option for candidates?
The cost of physical inactivity, lifestyle related disease and costs accrued through sickness absence, are estimated at £8.2 billion in a year in England alone. Given the knock-on effects this can have on business, employers are increasingly looking for ways to promote the health and wellbeing of their staff.
A recent survey from Gallup found that just 9% of UK workers in 2022 felt enthused by their work. The report also found that businesses with an engaged workforce have on average 23% higher profits than those with dissatisfied employees.
Harvard Business School conducted a recent survey where they discovered 70% of people believe it is important for businesses to make a positive impact. They also found 25% of consumers take a zero-tolerance stance on companies that employ questionable ethical practices.
Over the past few years, we have been plunged into a working life of makeshift desks, online meetings and working predominantly alone, often from home. Managers and their teams have adapted quickly to conducting the majority of business remotely, becoming rather adept at doing so.
Recent statistics indicate that over one in three UK workers see burnout as an evitable part of their career. This, combined with the challenges imposed by remote working, the rising cost of living, and a new world of “living with COVID”, have made it more important than ever before when it comes to the strategies employers have in place to support the wellbeing of their staff.
Remote working is not new, and there are many businesses that have implemented a successful remote working policy long before recent events made it the ubiquitous phenomena it is today.
