Germs

All-inclusive employee wellness programs promoted alongside a corporate culture of health offer employers the best hope of improving employee well-being, increased productivity and reduced health-care costs. All too often, though, we forget the obvious, and in this case it is hygiene. Especially during the flu season, the inclusion of hygiene to your wellness program is highly beneficial and can help generate immediate results.

The problem

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Absence Management 2011 Annual Survey reports that as many as 85% of employees are less productive each year because of “minor illnesses” such as the common cold, influenza and gastrointestinal conditions that spike presenteeism and absenteeism. Minor illnesses, then, when counted together, may trigger significant cost and productivity implications relating to the health of employees.