New advice offered on healthy lifestyles

In addition to large organisations, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can also engage in the promotion of healthy lifestyles to employees, it has been claimed.

According to comments made by Stephen Howard, managing director of Business in the Community, employees within SMEs can also receive promotions on the benefits of living in a healthy manner and that even small proposals can produce effective results.

"The benefit that most respondents wanted was an annual duvet day," he added.

"Educating small businesses on how to build a business case for wellbeing programmes and helping them measure their return on investment [is] key," said Mr Howard.

Among the other measures outlined by Mr Howard include the provision of healthy food choices within the workplace and the implementation of measures that encourage the use of bicycles for travelling to work.

In related news, according to data released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, an employee's absence from work equates to the loss of 3.7 per cent of a business's total working time over the course of a year.