Promoting Health and Well-being at Work
Policy and Practices
Policies to promote employee health and well-being not only protect from occupational risks, but also provide benefits for individuals and employers. Unhealthy lifestyles, characterised by high levels of stress, sedentary behaviour and poor eating habits, affect the health of employees and negatively impact workplace productivity. Governments play a key role in promoting health and well-being in the workplace. This report analyses policy levers used by governments to incentivise employers to promote health and well-being at work in ten countries, including G7 countries and OECD countries in the Asia/Pacific region. These include regulation, financial incentives, guidelines, and certification and award schemes. The report also explores how governments can facilitate Environmental, Social and Governance investment to encourage health promotion at work.
Foreword
For many years, the OECD has been highlighting the economic impact of investing in prevention for unhealthy lifestyles and chronic diseases. Unhealthy lifestyles, including smoking, poor diets, harmful alcohol use and physical inactivity are responsible for 76% of all deaths occurring in the population of working age, between ages 20 and 64, in OECD countries. Well-designed prevention policy packages help improve population health, reduce health expenditure, and improve employment and work productivity.
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