How does health affect productivity?

Experts show that your employees’ health affects productivity in the workplace. Here’s how you can use Nutrium Care to further invest in your company’s business strategy.

Did you know that the healthier your employees are, the more productive they will be [1]? While having good health is vital for anyone’s well-being, studies have found that lost productivity and being absent due to sick days can cost employers close to $576 billion annually [2]. In the United States alone, productivity losses related to personal and family health problems cost employers $1,685 per employee per year, or $225.8 billion annually [3]. 

Since these health costs can ultimately affect a company’s bottom line, 90% of employers have found a correlation between wellness promotion and employee performance [4]. But what are some steps that can be done to improve employees’ health and further boost productivity? Before discussing how Nutrium Care can help, let’s understand what affects productivity and what employers should be aware of when it comes to health and wellness.

How does health affect productivity?

Many things can affect productivity, including mental, physical, and social health. Let’s take a deeper look into some of the things that can impact an employee’s productivity levels.

Healthier employees are less likely to call in sick.

According to the CDC, companies that support health and wellness have a greater percentage of employees at work every day [1].

Generally speaking, healthier employees are less likely to use vacation time for personal or family related illnesses [1]. It’s also thought that good employee health may carry over into healthier habits at home (like cooking nutritious meals or engaging in physical activity with family), which could result in both the employee and their family members staying healthy and not getting sick as often. 

Employees who are obese are more likely to miss work.

Obesity is a complex disease that can adversely affect health and directly contribute to chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and sleep disorders [5]. This condition can also negatively impact productivity in the workplace.

According to the CDC, employees who are obese tend to miss work more often due to illness than those who are of normal weight [1].  For instance, it’s estimated that obese women (BMI >30) have a 53-141% increase in missed days compared to normal-weight women, whereas overweight and obese men (BMI 25-35) have a 56% increase in missed days [1].

Good nutrition and physical activity play an important role in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and can decrease the risk of chronic health conditions and obesity. 

Sleep deprivation can lead to decreased productivity.

Fatigue, lack of sleep, and insomnia are some of the most common causes of loss of productivity [6]. This comes as no surprise, as over one-third of American adults report feeling fatigued every week [7]. 

Some common symptoms of physical, mental, or emotional fatigue include [8]:

• Aching or sore muscles
• Apathy and a lack of motivation
• Daytime drowsiness
• Difficulty concentrating or learning new tasks
• GI problems, such as bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea
• Headache
• Feeling irritable or moody 
• Slowed response time
• Blurriness

These symptoms of fatigue can lead to a decrease in overall health, as a lack of sleep is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression [9]. Sleep deprivation can also negatively impact productivity, and leave employees feeling tired, less creative, and less focused on important projects [10].

In fact, it’s estimated that reductions in productivity related to fatigue can cost employers almost $2,000 a year per employee [10]. 

Getting consistent, quality sleep can help your employees improve their work performance, productivity, and motivation.  

How can Nutrium Care help?

By giving your employees access to tools they need to manage their health and wellness goals, you can help improve your company’s bottom line and improve productivity. 

This is where Nutrium Care comes in! We help improve your employees’ health by addressing sleep issues, weight management, chronic diseases, bad eating habits, and more. Here’s how the program works:

1. Online appointments with nutrition experts. Each employee can choose a specialized nutritionist and have their first online nutrition appointment. The nutritionist creates a personalized plan and works with employees to help them achieve their health and wellness goals.
2. Direct access to a nutritionist. After the first appointment, employees can communicate directly with the nutritionist at any time with the Nutrium mobile app. They also have their meal plan always at hand and receive important notifications to remind them to eat or drink water.
3. Educational materials. The entire process is accompanied by relevant information for a healthier life, through newsletters, webinars, and personalized workshops, created especially for each company.

Contact us if you’re interested in adding Nutrium Care to your business strategy! 

Summary

Employee health is directly correlated to productivity levels. As an employer, it’s important to make sure that your employees have access to resources that will improve their overall health and wellness. Nutrium Care is one such program that gives your entire team access to the best nutritional support, in a personalized, unlimited way, and 100% online. 

References

1. Increase productivity. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov 
2. How Can Health Affect Your Work? Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://hubworks.com 
3. Worker Productivity Measures. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov 
4. Employers See Wellness Link to Productivity, Performance. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.shrm.org 
5. Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.ahajournals.org
6. Health-Related Productivity Loss According to Health Conditions among Workers in South Korea. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7. The new normal: Over a third of Americans battle job burnout every single week. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://studyfinds.org
8. What causes fatigue, and how can I treat it? Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com
9. What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
10. The Link Between Sleep and Job Performance. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.sleepfoundation.org