This report highlights the results of our second annual research into the state of Health & Wellbeing in the Irish workplace, including concerning statistics on the prevalence of bullying in offices across the country.

1. HEALTH AND MINDFULNESS
IN THE WORKPLACE
2016 Report
One4all Rewards
Survey of 1,000 Irish workplaces commissioned by One4all Rewards,
carried out by Atomik Research

2. Introduction
Our working weeks are continuously growing longer – Irish people are now working a half hour longer per week than they were five
years ago * - and our workloads are ever increasing, often without compensation. This means less time for leisure, socialising, and of
course looking after our health and wellbeing.
Looking after employee health – both physical and mental – can help increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, and even bolster
staff retention. Recent studies have also tied healthy workplace initiatives to fewer obese employees among millennials. **
At One4all Rewards we work with organisations to develop programmes that incentivise desirable behaviour. This isn’t about
encouraging people to work around the clock, but incentivising greater productivity.
For this report we have commissioned research across 1,000 workplaces, looking at how employees feel about issues to do with their
health, mental health, wellbeing and productivity in the workplace. It offers useful insights that will help your organisation become a
healthier and more productive place to work, and demonstrate the value
improving employee wellbeing can have.
Jock Jordan,
Group Sales Director, One4all Rewards
* http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/think-2009-was-tough-you-re-
likely-working-longer-hours-now-1.2263084
** http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-workplace-environment-obesity-
idUSKCN0QX2G220150828

3. A high percentage of employees experience
bullying in the workplace, and those that
experience it don’t see successful resolutions
Nearly half of workers in Ireland say they or someone they know has been
bullied at work. Of those who had experienced bullying, almost a third
(29%), said their employer didn’t handle the situation effectively.
Concurrently, of those who had experienced bullying, just 12% said that
the situation was handled effectively. A mere 6% were offered
counselling or HR support after experiencing bullying in the workplace.
Given the obvious negative effects of bullying in the workplace, it is
surprising to learn that cases of bullying are still handled so ineffectively
by employers in Ireland.
Research undertaken by the Anti-Bullying Centre into cases taken to the
Employment Appeals Tribunal from June 2013 to September 2015, which
referenced bullying, showed more than half of all employers did not
have appropriate policies or, if they did, they failed to follow the proper
procedures.* Employers in Ireland need to work out policies to deal with
workplace bullying, and follow through by making sure they are properly
implemented.
* http://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/workplace-bullying-is-like-a-cancer-1.2495628
45%have experienced
bullying

4. Is workplace counselling the answer?
On the flipside, survey results show a reluctance from employees to look
after their mental health while at work. When asked whether they would
go to counselling services offered by their employer, just one third (32%)
of workers said they would attend and talk freely.
More than a quarter of workers in Ireland (27%) wouldn’t attend coun-
selling services if their workplace offered them for free, due to fears that
attendance could be seen by their employer as a warning of mental
health problems and would hinder their career progression.
This would seem to imply that there is still a stigma around mental health
in the workplace in 2016.
32%would use counselling
service in work

5. Stress at work is affecting employees both
mentally and physically, and can even be
causing them to stay at home
Drawing on data from both this year’s Health in the Workplace survey
and from a similar survey undertaken last year, it would appear that
absenteeism due to stress is on the rise in Ireland.
More than half of workers in Ireland have faked illness to get time off as a
response to being stressed and overworked, according to our 2016
survey. 56% said they had rang in sick over the past year despite being fit
to go to work. 13% said they had faked illness 3 to 4 times in the past year,
with 6% saying they had done it five or more times.
This is compared to 2015’s survey, which showed that 39% of employees
had not taken a single day off work due to illness in the previous year
and only 15% admit to ‘pulling a sickie’ in this time.
With such a high amount of days lost unnecessarily, the onus may be on
employers to examine why their workers do not feel able to come into
work, despite appearing healthy.
56%have called in sick
when fit to work

6. How our jobs are affecting our health, fitness
and wellbeing
Last year our survey showed that, for many employees, work
commitments had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
Unfortunately this still seems to be the case in 2016.
One in five workers in Ireland say their work commitments regularly or
frequently stop them from exercising or keeping fit. 41% said their work
commitments occasionally stopped them exercising.
Being overworked seems to be a big factor in this, with nearly half of
workers in Ireland working more than their contracted hours per week
for free, with almost one in four saying they work at least 2 hours or more
extra without pay every week.
Additionally, and possibly most worryingly, a third of Irish workers say that
worrying about job security sometimes leads to health/wellbeing issues.
One in five Irish workers say that worrying about their job security greatly
affects their health/wellbeing.
Top this all off with the fact that almost a quarter (23%) of workers in
Ireland believe their employer has no concern for their health – and a
further 21% saying their workplace viewed their health as a low
concern – and it implies that employers have a job to do in encouraging
their workers to have healthier attitudes to workplace health and
work/life balance.
23%believe employer
does not care about
their health

7. What kinds of wellbeing and health schemes
are Irish companies currently offering and why
should my company follow suit?
According to 2016 survey results, just over half of Irish companies (53%)
offer some form of health/wellness scheme, compared to 43% of
companies in last year’s survey.
The most common schemes offered by employers currently are:
• counselling services (19%)
• adequate facilities in order to prepare food brought from home (19%)
• healthy meals in the staff canteen (16%)
• free/subsidised health insurance (16%)
• free fruit, vegetables, and healthy snacks (10%)
One third of employers provide a Cycle to Work scheme for their
workers, and one fifth actively encourage team building exercises
in the workplace.
When asked how health/wellness schemes would affect their work lives,
46% of Ireland’s workers said they would feel more valued, and a quarter
said they would feel more of a sense of belonging to a team/family.
Additionally, 66% of employers say that when they exercise regularly their
productivity and contribution at work increases. One in five say that their
productivity increases by over 20%.
2015 – 43%
2016 – 53%
Workplace offers
health/wellness scheme

8. What else can employers do?
There are several schemes and activities that employees would like to
see implemented, both in terms of physical fitness and mental
wellbeing/mindfulness.
Close to half of workers (46%) would like to see employers encouraging
a healthy diet, and one in five would like to see a Cycle to Work scheme
implemented. 30% said they would like a shower room provided for
convenience should they choose to cycle to work, while one in five
want a secure bike storage area provided.
When it comes to mindfulness, employees would like to see workshops
to promote better relationships (42%), workplace massages (48%),
and workplace meditation (38%).
46%think employers
should encourage
a healthy diet

9. Conclusion
These findings highlight the appetite among employees in Ireland for health and mindfulness programmes to be implemented in
the workplace.
Offering these types of benefits not only makes companies more desirable places to work, but can also mean that staff work more
efficiently, take less time off and are more loyal.
The findings also clearly show that there are a wealth of issues in the workplace today with stress and bullying, particularly with workers
taking sick days due to work pressures when they would otherwise be able to come into work. Addressing these issues successfully would
greatly boost productivity in the workplace, ultimately boosting the bottom line.
T: 01 870 8181 | E: corpsales@one4all.ie | W: one4allrewards.ie