Push for healthier workplaces in UK

IN WORKPLACES across the UK right now someone is silently trying their best to struggle through their working day.

Approximately one in four of us will experience a mental health or musculoskeletal problem each year so it’s no surprise that after coughs and colds, these are the two main causes of sickness absence at work, with more than 40 million days lost each year.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. “Presenteeism” – when someone is struggling at work when they’re unwell – is forecast to wipe £84bn off work productivity by 2025. We spend a third of our lives at work so employers have an important role to play and can help unlock £38.1bn for the UK economy by 2025 by providing fast access to psychological and physical therapies for their employees.

The John Lewis Partnership has launched Working Well, a campaign to kickstart a revolution in workplace health and well-being. We know there are huge benefits if businesses, government, c charities and health e experts work together. We a are calling on the Government to make access to workplace h health services tax free, which could help encourage local employers to invest in the p physical and mental health of their workers, particularly for those on low pay or working in S SMEs. You can help by writing to your local MP to ask them to support this tax exemption. Ask a ahead of the Budget in November. To learn more about our Working Well campaign visit johnlewispartnership. c co.uk/workingwell