How to look after your employees during a recession

Looking after the wellbeing of employees is crucial for an organisation to survive the recession and it's critical to have systems in place to address this.

Whilst the right level of stress keeps us motivated, increased pressure and worry relating to the economic climate can lead to low morale, ill health and high staff turnover. It is important for an organisation to promote hard work, especially when high outputs are wanted more than ever, but it is equally important to encourage employees to take time to unwind. Balancing work and home life so that both areas are fulfilling and productive is a must and all employers have a responsibility to do their upmost to ensure this happens.

In the current economic climate businesses must look closely at the health and wellbeing of their employees and need to be aware of increased physical and mental health problems. People worrying about their jobs or debt, may suffer from headaches, depression and other stress-related illnesses. Bosses need to be vigilant about staff taking time off sick as the financial impact can be crippling. Last year the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released statistics that estimated 34 million days were lost due to work related ill health and workplace injury, costing the UK economy billions of pounds.

Employers should encourage employees to look after their health and wellbeing, and this need not be expensive. Liverpool based Medicash provide healthcare cash plans which allow organisations to support employees in three key areas: prevention, early intervention and cure. The plans have been specifically developed to aid retention, assist recruitment, improve staff loyalty and reduce stress. They give access to stress counseling as well as covering the costs of everyday healthcare such as visits to the dentist and optician. Other benefits include discounted gym membership, stays in hospital and full workforce health screening.

At Medicash we recognise the importance of a positive approach to health. People say the most valuable asset a company has is its employees so a good boss should want to look after their staff, reward them, ensure they stay in good health and encourage work/life balance. The health and future success of your organisation depends on your people; look after them.

Sue Weir, chief executive, Medicash

Medicash's Do's and Don'ts for employers wanting to care for their employees' health and wellbeing

Do encourage a positive approach to health and provide employees with the means to be healthy - a healthy workforce is a happy and motivated workforce

Don't overburden employees with doom and gloom relating to the recession, it won't help stress levels and morale

Do encourage a work/life balance amongst the workforce and promote the importance of taking 'me' time

Don't set unachievable targets, employees are more likely to find the pressure too hard to deal with than motivating and it could affect their health

Do operate an 'open door policy' for all employees so they know they are able to raise any worries or concerns they may have with their manager

Don't ignore absenteeism patterns, talk to employees about the reasons for being off work and discuss ways to help them

Do provide access to confidential stress counselling telephone helplines, there are free services available so make sure employees know where to get help from

Don't fall into the trap of assuming healthcare is only affordable for senior staff, comprehensive healthcare cash plans can be provided for all the workforce without it being prohibitively expensive

Do look out for employees who are struggling to cope and may be risking their health as a result of alcohol or drugs