COMPANIES should continue to promote workplace health despite the slow economy, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday.
And they should especially do so now as Singapore is gearing up for a higher retirement age and the re-employment of older workers.
Calling for greater participation by employers and workers on the health front, Mr Khaw said that being in good shape is part of making individuals employable.
'New skills and continuing retraining will help make elderly workers more employable, but their health is a crucial factor too,' he said. 'Part of making ourselves employable is to make sure we are fit and healthy. Our union leaders must get this very important message across to their members.'
Speaking at the 5th Health Award presentation ceremony, at Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Mr Khaw said that as healthcare costs continue to rise, ill health in the workplace will become more costly. Singling out General Motors as an example, he said that medical benefits for staff at the US conglomerate are said to cost twice as much as its spending on steel, the major raw material for the cars it makes.
Apart from lower absenteeism and higher productivity, companies can also reap other tangible benefits from good workplace health, as this year's Health Award winners have shown. Platinum award recipient IBM, for instance, uses its workplace health programme as part of its staff retention strategy. It has also seen a 14 per cent drop in medical cost per employee between 2004 and last year.
At Jurong Shipyard, another platinum award winner this year, health screening promotion and a chronic disease management programme helped reduce average medical cost per employee by one-third between 2000 and last year.
This year, 41 companies received the platinum award - the highest national recognition to workplaces with commendable healthcare programmes. Another 120 received the gold award, and 72 got the silver award. The bronze went to 125 companies.
This article was first published in The Business Times on November 21, 2008.
