Why Companies Should Provide an Annual Health Check for their Employees

Health and safety are continuously at the forefront of very industry and its employees. HSEQ departments are more important than ever before in reducing company health and safety based risk and employee health and safety. In many industries, when an employee first obtains a job, they are taken through a medical screening process which looks at their medical history and current condition and gives them a risk rating.

These are great ways to reduce a company's exposure to risky employees before they begin working with the company; but what about while employees are working within an organisation?

An employee's risk rating can rise dramatically and quickly if they are making poor lifestyle decisions, which can have an impact on the employee's health and the company's bottom line. This is why it is important for companies to have annual employee health checks, to identify key areas of risk for the both the company and the employees. From these health checks, a company's wellness provider can create a health profile of your company and outline areas of concern as well as outline preventative health strategies to ensure your risk profile drops and your employees have access to the service they need to be healthy, happy and more productive.

Annual health checks cover the following:

• Blood pressure
• Total cholesterol
• Blood glucose
• Type 2 diabetes risk
• Cardiovascular disease risk 
• Waist circumference
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Body fat percentage
• Tobacco smoking status
• Physical activity
• Fitness

By assessing the above areas, employees can gain an understanding of where they may have health risks and programs can be tailored for employees to allow them the chance to improve their physical health and allow companies the information they need to promote health in the right areas to reach their workforce. Employee health screening (lifestyle assessment) offers a variety of benefits both for organisations and the individuals who work for them, including:

• Reduced sickness absence levels
• Improved productivity
• Improved morale and loyalty amongst employees, particularly as health screening demonstrates that employers care about their staff and are dedicated to helping them stay healthy.

The evidence shows direct benefit for employees by proving these checks and many providers will execute these as part of a needs based analysis of an organisation’s health status. As a workforce changes over time and employees’ lifestyles change, there is a need to reassess the organisation’s health position and therefore, reassess the wellness strategy for the workforce.

Employee engagement is key to the success of a wellness strategy and its services so it is paramount to regularly review an organisation’s health risk position and to measure the success of an organisation’s wellness program.