Employers are not paying enough attention to their workers' health, which may threaten productivity, a wellness expert has warned.
Audrey Tsui Heung-heung, head of the Corporate Wellness Management Unit of Hong Kong Baptist University, revealed in a study that few local businesses or institutions considered their employees' health a priority.
The study polled 104 businesses and public institutions in June to gauge their health practices based on perceived importance and actual practices employed.
According to the study, respondents paid much more attention to injury and accident rates than they did to indicators of worker health - which include the number of sick days taken and other illness-related statistics.
The respondents believed it moderately important to provide counselling services or regular health-screening activities for workers, while few promoted the necessity and benefits of a healthy lifestyle, or hosted regular fitness activities in the workplace.
'Company spending on employees' wellness should be considered a kind of investment rather than an extra financial burden,' Dr Tsui said.