Did you know that Australian business loses $44 billion in productivity due to absenteeism every year? Personal health is clearly a large element in those numbers.

More research says that the median payout for a worker’s compensation claim in 2018 was $11,500, with 106,250 serious claims lodged. Of course, the personal costs of a serious health incident in terms of quality of life, are incalculable. This includes the hidden impact on staff morale and other domino effects in the workplace.

If a serious health emergency, such as a cardiac arrest happened at your office, are you sure your teams are fully prepared to respond and to manage the flow on effects?  There are some important questions you may need to ask yourself and your OHS manager before you can answer the question with confidence:

● Who would be the first responder, while you wait for the ambulance to arrive

• • ● Do you have enough people sufficiently trained and confident to act?
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• ● How would the incident be managed and by whom?

● How do you subsequently manage staff morale and productivity in the short term, and beyond?

• ● Do you have the financial, regulatory and business continuity risks fully covered for unexpected health issues in the workplace? 

Employee health and wellbeing is an emerging area of focus for organisations.  It’s also fast becoming something that executives see in terms of offering a competitive advantage, when wanting to attract quality talent. A safe workplace is a motivated and productive workplace, and ultimately a more profitable workplace. 

Organisations that prioritise workplace health programs experience a range of positive outcomes, including:

•     ● Improved employee retention and productivity.
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•     ● Reduced absenteeism and sick leave.
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•     ● Reduced worker’s compensation costs.
  
  

To help you build a culture and environment based around wellbeing, as well as safety, we’ve prepared a list for your teams that highlight the 10 Rules for the New Safe Workplace.