Companies shirking responsibility for employee wellbeing

Less than half of businesses believe they have a duty of care to employee health, according to a new report from leadership training organisation Morgan Redwood, with only 46% of firms regarding staff health as an employer’s responsibility.

This is despite the fact that 82.8% of companies believe that business performance and staff wellbeing are connected.

The research is based on responses from the heads of HR departments or board director level from over 250 businesses. These have been drawn from across the UK and from a mix of sectors and a range of company sizes, with two thirds employing over 250 people, and none less than 50.

The statistic of 46% is in contrast to a previous Morgan Redwood study conducted in 2009, where 95% of businesses believed they did have a duty of care to the health of their employees.

Janice Haddon, MD of Morgan Redwood said: “The latest findings really do indicate a startling shift in employer opinion. A swing from 95% to 46% is a huge difference. What has caused such a sea change?

"In 2014 the CIPD reported that 40% of employers are seeing a rise in stress related absence and reported mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, so the fact that companies are less inclined to see wellbeing as within their remit of responsibility is perplexing.”

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