australia’s healthiest workplace – …...employees are exposed. in addition to being launched in...

AUSTRALIA’S HEALTHIEST WORKPLACE – SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Purpose

A growing body of research on corporate wellness indicates that proactive management of employees’ physical and mental health can produce a range of important business benefits – including a reduction in absence, greater staff engagement, productivity and a reduction in staff turnover. The aim of the Australia’s Healthiest Workplace study is to better understand the interaction between employees’ lifestyle choices, general health, and business critical outcomes such as engagement and productivity, with a view to positively add to the evidence base in this area. The study was developed by AIA Group Corporate Solutions

This report aims to demonstrate a sample of high level Australian insights from 2017 as well as to showcase the type of information that can be gleaned about organisations. It is the first science-based workplace survey in Australia to examine lifestyle, clinical indicators, stress and mental health, to help businesses understand the impact on wellbeing and productivity at an individual and company level.

Background Established in 2017, Australia’s Healthiest Workplace by AIA Vitality is a comprehensive workplace wellness study that has been established to investigate the causes and effects of ill-health among the working population. Leveraging Britain’s Healthiest Workplace which has been running since 2013, with over 100,000 employees and 400 employers being assessed over that time period. The study continues to provide unique insights into how employers can most effectively manage the risks to which their employees are exposed. In addition to being launched in Australia in 2017 (32 employers, 2,449 employees), Healthiest Workplace also launched in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore (combined 72 employers, 7,552 employees) in the same year.

AUSTRALIA’S HEALTHIEST WORKPLACE – Summary of findings2

313 EMPLOYERS

41,951EMPLOYEES

“We are using this report as the basis for our wellness program for the coming year.”

2017 participant, Data#3

AUSTRALIA’S HEALTHIEST WORKPLACE – Summary of findings 3

ACADEMIC PARTNERSThis study is delivered by AIA Vitality alongside our partner, RAND Europe. It has been clinically and academically endorsed by our expert advisory board, which includes Professor Alex Collie from Monash University.

“It was time well spent, considering the scientific insights.”

2017 participant, Ashurst


Insights

AIA VITALITY AGE 86% of Australian employees have an AIA Vitality age (based on modifiable lifestyle and clinical risk factors) higher than their actual age.

On average, Australians’ Vitality age is 3.4 years OLDER than their actual age*

LIFESTYLE HEALTH Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition and physical inactivity are important modifiable risk factors. Encouraging employees to make healthy choices will not only help prevent chronic disease, but should also have a beneficial impact on productivity and work performance and engagement.

AUSTRALIA

ASIAN COUNTRIES

UNITED KINGDOM

Employees doing less than 150 minutes per week

OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RISK PROFILE

Per

cent

age

of r

espo

nden

ts

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Despite approximately 35% of employees in Australia and the UK not getting enough physical activity (150 minutes per week), employees in the Asian countries surveyed are at a much greater risk with over 60% of employees surveyed not meeting minimum physical activity recommendations.

AUSTRALIA

ASIAN

COUNTRIES

UNITED KINGDOM

Employees not eating a balanced diet

OVERALL NUTRITION RISK PROFILE

Per

cent

age

of r

espo

nden

ts

80%

90%

100%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Data collected through Australia’s Healthiest Workplace has shown that fruit and vegetable intake is the nutritional element which can be most easily addressed in the workplace, with 50% of organisations across the whole Healthiest Workplace study indicating they offer fresh fruit and vegetables.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:

AUSTRALIA

ASIAN

COUNTRIES

UNITED KINGDOM

Employees exceeding weekly recommended units

OVERALL ALCOHOL RISK PROFILE

Per

cent

age

of r

espo

nden

ts

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

It is clear that the UK has the highest alcohol risk of the countries surveyed. Conversely the Asian countries have a very low risk as it’s not part of the culture in the same way it is in Australia and the UK.

Units per week

HEAVY DRINKERS: DRINKING PATTERNS

25%

14%

12%

49%

14–16 17–18 19–20 21+

16% of Australians are exceeding the national alcohol consumption guidelines*


SLEEP

Poor sleep quality is associated with impairments at work, such as reduced concentration and difficulties with organising tasks. Among the analysed respondents, 16% indicated they had poor or very poor quality sleep in the week preceding the survey.

Units per week

SLEEP QUALITY

3%

35%

40%

9%

13%

Very poor Poor Fair Good Very good



MENTAL WELLBEING

LIFE SATISFACTION

54% of the analysed employees in Australia are subject to at least one dimension of work-related stress.

FINANCIAL CONCERNS

EXTENT OF FINANCIAL CONCERNS

10%

41%

48%

None A little A lot

58% of Australian employees surveyed admitted to having some financial concerns.

CLINICAL HEALTH

HEALTH PERCEPTION AND MOTIVATION TO CHANGE

People are less likely to make changes to their lifestyles if they perceive themselves to be healthy. Therefore, it is important for employees to have a realistic perception of their health. Sometimes employees with multiple risk factors perceive themselves to be in good or very good health. Though some of the risk factors presented may be mild, not symptomatic, or controlled, perceived good health may indicate specific cases in which employees do not have good awareness of underlying risks to their health.


Of the 12% of employees who have four or more risk factors, 46% believe they are in good or very good health!

HEALTH SCREENING

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

HEALTH SCREENING PARTICIPATION AND RISK

Per

cent

age

of r

espo

nden

ts te

sted

in

pas

t 12

mon

ths

Blood pressure Cholesterol Blood glucose All three

AustraliaAt risk* At risk* At risk*

Asian countries United Kingdom

* Of those who recalled their result

The first step in improving your health is knowing more about it. By knowing your health metrics, you can set goals and take action to improve them.

BMI

Another example of overestimating health is our BMI data. According to our results 47% of people reported being overweight or obese. We actually know this number to be closer to 63% in Australia.

MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS

82% of the employees reported one or more musculoskeletal conditions, not dissimilar to the levels experienced in the Asian countries and the UK. The most common symptoms reported in Australia are lower back and neck pain, while 18% of the employees reported no symptoms at all.

PRODUCTIVITY LOSS (AS A RESULT OF ABSENTEEISM AND

PRESENTEEISM)

43.7 days are lost per employee (through presenteeism and absenteeism in Australia every year)

The cost of employee self-reported absenteeism and presenteeism* is estimated at $10,006,582 per year on average.*in Australia

We have identified a few areas within the workplace where employers can have an impact on productivity. These include work engagement, leadership, culture and organisational support.

WORK ENGAGEMENT

Employee engagement refers to the amount of energy, dedication and focus people bring to their work. It’s currently regarded as one of the key ‘people’ factors that differentiate higher and lower levels of organisational performance on a range of indicators. Evidence suggests that there is a relationship between improved lifestyle and clinical health and increased work engagement. Overall 15% of the employees score high or very high for Work Engagement compared to the benchmarks of 11% in both the Asian countries and the UK.


LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE

There is growing recognition of the need to develop a comprehensive organisational approach to align health promotion and human resource management practices. The quality of an employee’s workplace experience has an impact on health and wellbeing. A direct relationship exists between job design, work-life balance, organisational change and the health of the workforce. Work intensification and reorganisation, often coupled with technological change, has contributed to an increased incidence of musculoskeletal disorders and poor mental health.

PERCEPTION OF LEADERSHIP AMONG THE EMPLOYEES

% OF PARTICIPANTS WHO AGREE / STRONGLY AGREE

AUSTRALIA ASIAN COUNTRIES

UNITED KINGDOM

My line manager cares about my health and wellbeing

76% 54% 72%

My line manager encourages me at work

75% 60% 72%

Leaders view the level of employee health and wellbeing as an important indicator of the organisation’s success

37% / 3% 49% / 3% 28% / 3%

All three 30% / 0% 40% / 0% 22% / 0%

Employee insights pertaining to an organisations leadership and culture is essential in understanding how supportive (of their health and wellbeing) the leadership team are perceived to be. Based on these insights, strategies can be developed to make improvements.

ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT

Even in areas where employees are less willing to change of their own volition, creating an environment conducive to change and a culture of health within the organisation may provide them with extra motivation. The following graph shows the areas in which employees indicate they feel supported by their organisation.

My organisation supports me

EMPLOYEE PERCEPTION OF ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT

Per

cent

age

of r

espo

nden

ts w

ho a

gree 80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% …to be physically active

…to eata healthy diet

…to livetobacco free

…to livestress free

…when I am unwell

Australia Asian countries United Kingdom

This graph demonstrates that in Asian countries employees generally feel supported to be healthy but are not as supported when they are unwell. Whereas, Australia and the UK are slightly less supportive of their employees being healthy but are highly supportive when they are unwell.

Organisational support can express itself in various ways and the following table indicates how deeply health and wellness is embedded in an organisation’s culture, through assessing levels of both investment and accountability for employee wellbeing.


Whilst many companies are spending money on health and wellbeing initiatives, the vast majority do not measure return on investment.

KEY CULTURAL FACTORS

PERCENTAGE / AVERAGE OF ORGANISATIONS

AUSTRALIA ASIAN COUNTRIES UNITED KINGDOM

Budget for health and wellbeing facilities and services exists 57% 53% 64%

Staff health and wellbeing is discussed at the board level 77% 74% 92%

Staff health and wellbeing is discussed at the executive committee level at least once a year

88% 75% 95%

Staff health and wellbeing is discussed at the middle management level at least once a year

85% 76% 92%

Staff health and wellebing is discussed at all staff level at least once a year

88% 80% 96%

Providing incentives for participation and/or recognising or rewarding employees for healthy behaviour and health improvement

25% 48% 26%

This table displays the percentage of organisations offering mental health and wellbeing interventions, the percentage of employees who have used the intervention, and of those, the percentage who feel that it has had a positive impact on their health. In addition to mental health this is demonstrated for physical activity, nutrition, alcohol, smoking, sleep, digital health and other health support.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

% OF ORGANISATIONS

IN AUSTARLIA THAT OFFER THE INTERVENTION

% OF ORGANISATIONS IN APAC THAT OFFER

THE INTERVENTION

% OF EMPLOYEES INDICATING

THEY’VE ONLY USED THE INTERVENTION. APAC (BENCHMARK)

% OF EMPLOYEES INDICATING THE INTERVENTION

IMPROVED THEIR HEALTH (BENCHMARK)

Training on common mental health conditions (such as depression, anxiety disorders etc.)

32% 21% 55% (43%) 67% (76%)

Resilience, energy or stress management classes or programs

29% 24% 49% (48%) 74% (78%)

Mindfulness classes or programs 36% 20% 56% (53%) 72% (77%)

Massage or relaxation classes or programs 36% 23% 57% (49%) 82% (85%)

Counselling or psychotherapy services 14% 16% 17% (13%) 86% (86%)

Employee Assistance Programs 71% 37% 11% (13%) 75% (76%)

Workload or time management training 29% 22% 30% (38%) 85% (78%)

Volunteering or charity work 46% 47% 43% (48%) 71% (79%)

Coaching techniques 25% 33% 34% (43%) 93% (80%)

Other mental health support – onsite/telephone/mobile app/online

14% 15% 12% (15%) 75% (77%)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 0% 1% n/a (60%) n/a (100%)

Mental health and wellbeing information 32% 27% 44% (47%) 61% (78%)

Other 11% 4% 0% (0%) n/a (n/a)

“…being able to compare ourselves to other Australians allowed us to identify where we would like to take our program next.”

2017 participant, Announcer Group

Registrations for Australia’s Healthiest Workplace 2018 are now open. You can register at https://resources.aia.com.au/Australias-Healthiest-Workplace_registration.html

https://resources.aia.com.au/Australias-Healthiest-Workplace_registration.html


AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861 AFSL 230043) 03/18 – VIT3899

australia’s healthiest workplace – …...employees are exposed. in addition to being launched in...

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