As many as 131 million workdays are lost each year through sickness absence nationwide in the sport, fitness and leisure industry, prompting Public Health England (PHE) to conduct a survey of workers’ health and wellbeing.
The reasons for sickness absence can be attributed to poor health that may have been brought on by feelings of discrimination, stress in the workplace or lifestyle choices.
In the UK, there are around 630,300 people employed in the sector, accounting for around 2% of the UK's workforce.
The aim of the questionnaire is to capture a snapshot of general health, wellbeing, and work status. The results will be analysed and presented to staff of PHE, Sport England and other key stakeholders in the sector, including the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
The findings will help inform future practice if the results highlight common themes, or important areas to address. They will be used to inform how employers in the sector can better support the health and wellbeing of staff working in the industry.
In 2014, an Investors in People survey found over half (56 per cent) of full-time employees in the leisure sector felt their employer did not care about personal health and wellbeing, as long as the job got done.
The PHE study will be carried out by Dr Justin Varney, the organisation's national lead for adult health and wellbeing Henry Simkins, a physical activity and health graduate based at PHE, will support the study as a research intern.
Taking part in the survey is voluntary and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, according to PHE.
The survey - https://surveys.phe.org.uk/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=PHE2016SLF - is open until 14 September 2016.
