How To Reduce Sickness Absence in the Workplace?
The cost of an employee’s sick days is a huge expense for the employer. Businesses in EU Member States spent over EUR 138 billion on sickness benefits paid in 2014, according to a study conducted in 2015 (it is 1% of EU GDP).1 These costs are even greater when indirect costs of re-organizing work would be included. While most companies understand the importance of sick day expenses, they often are unaware that some sick day expenses can be significantly reduced by simple decisions.
Research shows a clear link between an employee’s physical activity and the number of sick days. At the recommended physical activity (55/65% to 90% of maximal heart rate, 20 to 60 minutes for three to five days a week), there was significantly less sick leave: more than one day in two months and more than four days in a year.2 This is a real opportunity for every business to cut its costs.
To date, however, it has been difficult for companies to measure the physical activity of their employees in a harmonized and simplified manner. For this reason, many employers are in good faith to provide free sports benefits to their employees. However, without linking the shared good to human behavior, this solution remains incomplete.
It is for this reason why YuMuuv has created a digital platform that allows employers, in a very simple way, to create challenges for their employees based on physical activity and reward active employees. This creates greater coherence between motivated employee engagement and the rewards of physical activity shared by the company.
Accordingly, trying out the YuMuuv application is a good choice for any company, regardless of size or industry, because using YuMuuv is a win-win situation for employees – healthier, more productive employee and less unnecessary cost for the employer. Based on broad calculations, a 1€ that company spends on YuMuuv means an average savings of 5.7€.
