Statistics recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics clearly show that the incidence of many lifestyle related diseases is increasing. So too is the number of hours people spend at work. This means that poorer employee health is having a greater impact on workplace productivity and profit.

Heart attack and related cardiovascular disorders are the leading causes of illness and death for both men and women. Stroke, cancer and respiratory diseases are the other main causes of illness and death. Together, cardiovascular disease and cancer account for two-thirds of all deaths.

Modifiable health risk behaviours that contribute to the risk of developing and dying from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers and diabetes include:

• smoking
• risky alcohol consumption
• overweight/obesity
• physical inactivity
• poor nutrition

Further, there is a clear link between a range of modifiable health risk factors and the development of multiple chronic diseases. For example, in 2004-2005, 60% of those with diabetes also reported having cardiovascular disease.

The impact of employees carrying a greater number of health risk factors and suffering from a bigger range of lifestyle related illnesses may be observed in the workplace in the form of lower productivity, increased presenteeism and greater absenteeism. This negatively affects business performance as a whole. This impact is made even more noticeable and has a bigger affect on business than it has in the past because of the increasing number of hours employees are at work these days, and the higher work outcomes that are expected of them but which may be compromised by lower productivity, increased presenteeism and greater absenteeism attributable to employees carrying a greater number of health risk factors.

Average weekly work hours for fulltime employees have increased to 39.4 hours per week with significant proportions working in excess of that – eg, 29% of men work 45 hours or more per week. The average weekly work hours for part-time employees has also increased. The greater the number of work hours (worked or expected to be worked), the greater the impact of low productivity, presenteeism and/or absenteeism.

Comprehensive corporate wellness strategies aimed at preventing, reducing or managing health risk factors and their effects can have a positive effect on improving employee health, reducing presenteeism and/or absenteeism, and in improving productivity and profits as a result.