Around 54 per cent of British workers work outside regular business hours, departing from the typical 9–5 workday, according to Cigna Healthcare.
More than 1,200 adult workers in the UK are included in the study, which reveals that a significant 88 per cent show indicators of burnout.
Nearly half of the workers, or 47 per cent, recognise that their companies place a higher priority on production than the mental health of their employees, which adds to the stress that 78 per cent of workers describe.
An estimated $1 trillion in lost productivity is incurred worldwide by 12 billion missed workdays due to employee health neglect. Meanwhile, an average of 18 million workdays are lost to mental health problems in the UK each year.
Cigna Healthcare has launched “Your Health Plan, Your Growth Plan,” an initiative that encourages organisations to prioritise employee health.
The initiative seeks to increase public awareness of the negative consequences of profit-first strategies by highlighting the connection between chronic illnesses and employee burnout. The programme seeks to decrease absenteeism, increase productivity, and promote happy work conditions.
Cigna Healthcare president, international health Jason Sadler says: “The current climate is challenging, and many businesses are facing recessionary cost pressures, but we are seeing out of hours working and burnout become the ‘norm’. This impacts productivity, retention and the bottom line. Employee health is imperative for any business to succeed and it’s crucial that businesses stop being blindsided by growth and start to recognise this.
“While cutting costs can be instinctive during tough economic times, investing in healthcare can actually reap benefits for the business. Our new campaign aims to shift the conversation towards employee health as a driver of business growth, and how investment in healthcare could in fact be a solution to create value.”
