106 | SEPTEMBER 2019 Women’s Health
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Reason to believe
An employer that truly cares
about its staff ’s wellbeing
should encourage them to spend
less time working, however
healthy the environment. ‘The
evidence shows that if you
consistently work long hours,
you will get ill and it will harm
your private life,’ says Professor
Cooper. This is another trend
that we’ve imported from the
US: Britons work around 42
hours a week, which is the
highest in Europe. However,
our output is still around
a quarter less than countries
such as France and Germany,
meaning it takes British
workers five days to produce
what others achieve in four.
Presenteeism (that’s being
in the office beyond your
contracted working hours)
costs businesses twice as much
as absenteeism, and it’s harder
to spot than an empty desk. To
cure the ‘always-on’ disease,
Volkswagen turns company
emails off at night; in January
2017, France enshrined in law
employees’ ‘right to disconnect’
and requires companies to set
times when emails are banned
- well-intentioned, but not
necessarily helpful. ‘You can’t
work flexibly if your emails are
blocked,’ says Professor Cooper.
‘The evidence is that people
are more productive if what
they do fits in with their life.’
Professor Cooper has set up
a national forum for health and
wellbeing at work, comprising
35 major employers, such as
NHS England, BT and Rolls-
Royce, which meets to develop
strategies for tackling issues
such as long hours and old-
fashioned ‘command and
control’ line managers. ‘If they
create a long-hours culture,
send you emails on a Friday
night or don’t allow you to work
flexibly, that’s going to damage
you,’ he says. ‘The magic bullet
is the line manager.’ You can’t
change your boss, but your company can – by training them to be
more socially sensitive, or by creating an anti-presenteeism culture.
Arguably as important to workplace wellbeing as lunchtime
workouts is a culture where you don’t dread the repercussions if
you’re not back from your break within 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
As UKActive’s Ward says, ‘It’s not uncommon to walk into our office
at 12.15pm and wonder where everyone is, or how we ever get
anything done.’ But they do. Leading by example, Ward schedules
exercise into his diary, which staff members are able to see; this
shows them that it’s okay for them to do the same. Diarising – and
public accountability – has also made Ward more likely to keep his
gym appointments: ‘Unless it’s scheduled, it just won’t happen.’
Humans aren’t machines. We’re emotional beings who are more
productive when we’re happy. Professor Cooper stresses the role
of job satisfaction in workplace wellbeing. This was demonstrated
in a study by behavioural economist Professor Dan Ariely, in which
subjects built more Lego models when they knew their creations
wouldn’t be dismantled immediately afterwards. Meaningful work
makes you work harder at it. And it’s less about the type of job than
how you view it: a Yale School of Management study of hospital
cleaners – a job that some would regard as menial – found that, on
the whole, they felt good about their work; they saw their role as
integral to helping patients and supporting doctors.
Indeed, Dr Zanuso believes this is Technogym’s key strength, too
- not the paradisiacal campus, but the fact that its employees buy
into the company’s mission statement. ‘Technogym has two purposes,’
he says. ‘One is making the company “healthier”, the other is making
people healthier.’ Manaresi, an 18-year veteran of Technogym, puts
it another way: ‘It gives you a sense of correttezza – of doing good.’
GAINFUL
EMPLOYMENT
Even if you don’t work for
a tech giant, you can find
wellbeing in the office with
these tips from UKActive
TIME DIFFERENCE
Last year, UKActive’s
Flying Start campaign urged
employers to push back their
start time. Request clearance
to clock in later once a week
and fit in a jog before work
runs away with you.
TEAM PLAYERS
Unite your fellow workers.
‘A social way to spend a lunch
break is getting a small group
together and going to an
exercise class,’ says Ward.
‘Or organise a weekly run
or a game of five-a-side.’
LITTLE TWEAKS
You don’t need to push your
boss to install a bench press.
‘Ask for places to store bikes
safely and take showers,’
suggests Ward. Or ask your
company to negotiate staff
discounts at local gyms.
AGILE WORKING
To get public sector workers
on their feet, the mayor of
Greater Manchester has
changed the dress code at his
office to permit trainers.
Ask for the same at your
workplace. Simple, zero cost,
but sends a clear message.
‘Presenteeism costs businesses
twice as much as absenteeism’
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