Small businesses are keeping up with bigger firms in embracing healthy workplaces

Many small and micro businesses do not have the benefit of in-house HR advice as far as health and wellbeing at work is concerned. And the business case is not always easy to see among all the other pressures in smaller firms, even though they can feel the effects of sickness more acutely. Now, new research has shown that itís not just large corporations that see the links between supporting staff wellbeing and better business results. One in two owner/managers of small businesses say they encourage employees into healthier lifestyles, and just like their corporate counterparts, say that it reduces days off sick and improves staff loyalty. More than three in four small business employers believe that their firms would be more attractive to work for if they supported staff health and wellbeing.

Standard Lifeís Attitudes to Healthcare survey, now in its eighth year, released today a special chapter related to small businesses - those employing fewer than 250 staff. The study also found that three in ten small business employers believe they should be directly involved in supporting their employeesí health and wellbeing.

Mike Hall, Chief Executive of Standard Life Healthcare said: ëAt a time of skills shortages and tight margins, productivity, staff recruitment and retention are of great importance, especially to small businesses. Owner managers are as concerned about retaining staff and about staff sickness as they are about keeping their ideas safe - and those staff concerns are greater than those about the security of company property, showing how high up the agenda people are. Our research shows that employers are taking action to consider employee health and wellbeing as an important factor in managing the risk posed by not doing so. This approach was once seen as something that was most relevant to large corporations, and many wellbeing services and products reflected that.

ëOur unique understanding of the small business sector, with which we have worked in partnership since our inception, has motivated us to design health, wellbeing and insurance services specifically with them in mind. Iím delighted that employersí attitudes show that these initiatives are hitting the spot.í

Small businesses account for 99% of UK enterprises and almost one in two jobs. The pressures and responsibilities faced by this sector differ from those faced by the larger corporates and the special focus of this chapter in the annual study reflects the importance of this. A number of other surveys will take place during 2008, which together with the main consumer study will culminate in the publication of the full attitudes to healthcare report later this year.

Key findings among small businesses:

ï 51% of employers encourage their staff into healthier lifestyles

ï 96% of employers said that their workplace is a healthy one

ï 77% said that employers should be directly involved in supporting their employeesí health and wellbeing

ï 76% said that employees would find it more attractive to work for an employer who supported employee health and wellbeing

ï 58% said that staff loyalty would be improved

ï 50% said that employee health and wellbeing would be improved

ï 49% said that the number of days off sick would be reduced

Employers are concerned about various business issues, rating them as at least ëimportantí to them personally, as follows:

ï Cash flow - 97%

ï Lack of customers/sales ñ 89%

ï Economic downturn ñ 75%

ï Security of ideas/inventions ñ 70%

ï Staff sickness and staff retention ñ both 69%

ï Security of property ñ 66%

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