Absenteeism costs the South African economy R12-billon per year, estimates indicate, while scientific evidence is linking employee wellness to company productivity and profits.

"Globally, chronic conditions linked to lifestyle behaviours are on a sharp rise and in South Africa we are seeing the same picture. Approximately 50 percent of corporate healthcare expenses are ascribed to potentially modifiable risk factors such as smoking, poor nutrition and lack of exercise," says Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Discovery Health.

A bleak picture

He said research conducted for Discovery Vitality, under the auspices of Professor Tim Noakes' team of scientists at the Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town, painted a bleak picture of the health of South Africa's corporate employees.

The data was based on the results of Vitality wellness days held at 15 large corporates from a broad range of industries. These wellness events are held at corporate enterprises where employees undergo a range of preventive screening tests and health risk assessments.

Analysis of the data:

  • Less than 15 percent of employees reach their daily required intake of fruit and vegetables.

  • 20 percent smoke

  • 88 percent do not meet the minimum recommended level of daily health-enhancing physical activity.

  • 20 percent had raised blood cholesterol levels, and similar patterns emerged for blood pressure and body mass.

"These factors increase the risk of diabetes, hypertension, strokes and respiratory problems — diseases that keep employees off work, compromise their performance when they are at work and ultimately, threaten their lives," says Koopowitz.

"Although absenteeism is often used as the yardstick for a loss of productivity, presenteeism can harm productivity just as much," he notes.

"Employees that are sick and unhealthy may be at work, but are unable to give optimal performance and may be prone to make mistakes that can cost employers time and money."

A corporate investment

Internationally, many corporate employers are seeing the benefits of investing in the wellness of their employees.

"In the US we have experienced this in our interactions with various corporates. There is a wave of employers that want a wellness program as the return on investment is obvious. This has been the appeal of Vitality in the US where corporate wellness programs are scarce and sought after," says Koopowitz.

According to the US Association of Labour Management, every rand invested in wellness will result in a 300 to 500 percent cost saving for the employer.

Johnson & Johnson in the United States, for example, reported that their customised corporate wellness programme saved the company $13-million yearly in absenteeism and health costs.

"We have wellness programs that work in South Africa. This has been proven to show its positive effects on staff productivity and ultimately the bottom line. Our challenge is to persuade South African employers to walk the talk when it comes to employee wellness and get them to enrol in these programmes,’" Koopowitz concluded.