More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents believe their employer should take responsibility for general health at work, according to research by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
The research, published to coincide with the run-up to National Heart Month from 1 February, surveyed more than 1,200 working adults about their views on workplace health.
The research also found:
- 32% of respondents think their bosses do not care about their health.
- 26% of respondents said they believe that being healthy at work is important, but that the current economic climate means their health is simply not a priority for their employer.
- 18% of respondents do absolutely no physical activity during working hours and 27% only manage up to 20 minutes or less over the entire working day.
- 49% of respondents said they feel stressed at work on a daily basis.
The BHF is also encouraging employers to promote National Heart Month by supporting employees who wear red to work through its Rock-up-in-Red programme on 1 February.
Lisa Purcell, project manager for the BHF’s Health at Work programme, said: “Our survey found that the majority of workers think their boss is responsible for health in the workplace.
“We spend 60% of our day at work and it’s time for employers to make health and wellbeing an essential part of the working day. National Heart Month is the perfect time to make a change.”