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Taylor Woodow cuts staff absence rates 27 March 2006 Leading home builder Taylor Woodrow has cut employee absence to less than half the construction industry average, after signing up with Bupa Wellness. As part of a contract to look after the health of Taylor Woodrow’s 4,500 building site and office staff in the UK, Bupa Wellness provides a comprehensive service for employees and managers. Staff have access to advice on work-related and personal issues and counselling, while managers can call on the occupational health team to assist employees to return to work after an illness or injury. Bupa Wellness also carries out a pre-employment assessment to check that they are fit for the type of work they will be carrying out. Since Bupa began working with Taylor Woodrow in 2003, the average number of days employees took off sick has dropped from 3.2 days to 2.8 days a year. This compares to an average of 6.6 days lost through absence per person per year in the construction industry. Occupational health services are co-ordinated by a team of four from Bupa Wellness’ Health@Work business, based at Taylor Woodrow’s offices in Solihull. The team works with the company’s safety department to ensure precautions are taken to safeguard employees. Although the company has an industry-leading precautionary health and safety process, annual health surveillance is carried out to look for early signs of any potential problems caused by workplace hazards. These could include lung and skin conditions caused by exposure to dust and chemicals, hearing difficulties among those who work in a noisy environment and pain in the hands and arms resulting from use of vibrating tools such as pneumatic drills. Taylor Woodrow director of human resources, Alec Luhaste, said: “As new employees join the company, Bupa Wellness has performed an important role in ensuring the suitability of our workforce. “After joining us, employees receive a range of personal support from Bupa which makes a significant contribution to the smooth running of the company and is seen by our people as a valued benefit. In the two years since we began working with Bupa, we have seen a real improvement, particularly in the area of sickness leave.” This service is provided for staff nationwide by Wellness’ national network of advisers. Bupa occupational health manager Amanda Brown said: “Our aim is to prevent sickness and injury rather than reacting to problems after they occur.” Ms Brown said: “For example, we can assess an individual’s capabilities to perform the duties that a job entails and advise whether any reasonable adjustments are required to help them carry out their full range of responsibilities.”
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