Bosses 'failing on staff health'

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Almost a third of employers are failing to recognise the need to create a healthy workplace, a survey suggests.

According to the study of 900 firms, 31% of bosses wrongly think healthy working just means that their staff eat the right food during the day.

The Investors in People survey also found that 17% of employers said it would be too expensive for them to improve their workers' well-being.

Another 24% of bosses said they did not know what action they should take.

'Unhealthy means unproductive'

"Despite recognition of the benefits that a healthy workplace can deliver, some employers simply don't seem to understand that it is about more than just gym membership and fresh fruit," said Investors in People acting chief executive Simon Jones.

"Our research shows that employees actually want better support and development structures to create a healthier environment - and managers should take heed.

"The bottom line is that an unhealthy, unhappy workforce will also be uncommitted and unproductive."

Investors in People is a government-backed organisation that works with companies to improve their performance by investing in staff training and development.