Ladbrokes healthy living programme works

Ladbrokes introduced Roadtohealth’s healthy living programme in January 2013.

The programme, which is currently available only to senior management in Ladbrokes’ private medical insurance scheme, involves filling out an online health risk assessment, split into sections on medical history, lifestyle, diet and stress.

Once completed, the employee is given a ‘Q score’, which helps them monitor their progress in improving their health, while the employer can keep track of employees’ health profile. Phil Rixon, pensions and benefits manager at Ladbrokes, says: “Having staff complete the health questionnaire is a start point to understanding the health of our business.”

In 2012, Ladbrokes offered staff flu jabs and encouraged employees to quit smoking by taking part in ‘Stoptober’. After the flu jabs, it was able to compare absence rates for colds and flu against staff who did not participate.

Rixon adds: “If it showed that fewer sick days were taken, that is good evidence we can use to build our thinking, our strategy and our spend. “We can throw money at the wall with Stoptober and flu jabs, but if we can prove a return on investment, that opens up my mind and others’ minds to continue on that journey.”