Health and well-being, fundamental axes of business sustainability

The Forética Health and Sustainability Action Group, in its third edition, has addressed the business contribution to the health and well-being of stakeholders. Specifically, the Group focused on delving into the “health footprint” of companies from two angles: the impact on the health of its employees, with a focus on mental health; and the business contribution to the health of its customers and consumers through a range of products and services.

The Action Group is the business meeting point for leadership, knowledge and dialogue to value health and well-being as a fundamental axis of company sustainability. It is led by Forética and led by Chiesi, Grupo ASISA, Microsoft and Quirónsalud, and also has a group of participating companies: Alsea, Mapfre, Navantia, Sanitas and Santander, among others. In its third edition, the team addressed the contribution of companies to the health of their stakeholders from a dual approach: analyzing, on the one hand, the challenges facing the physical and mental health of employees and, on the other, the impact of products and services on the health of its consumers and customers.

During the meeting it was stated that mental health problems are the second cause of sick leave -temporary and permanent- in Europe, only behind muscle and joint diseases. According to the Report on the Mental Health Strategy of the National Health System published in 2021, they affect 22% of workers. In this context, according to ‘Observatory IBEX 35. Health, Wellbeing and Sustainability in IBEX 35′ companies prepared by Forética in 2021, 36% of IBEX 35 companies had some specific mental health program for employees.

The current situation seems to indicate that organizations are betting more and more on the development of strategic programs in this field, with a quantifiable impact: investing in the mental health of employees has an economic return for organizations of 4.25 dollars for every dollar invested , according to McKinsey. On the other hand, companies are aware of the importance of considering the health factor in their products and services, incorporating this approach in an increasingly integrated manner.

The business meeting organized by Forética has had the intervention of Vincent Siegerink, Analyst of the Center for Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunities (WISE) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), who has approached the last works of the organization regarding the non-financial performance of companies and their contribution to well-being from a holistic approach. This vision has been complemented with the experience of the leading companies of the Action Group, with the participation of Luisa Izquierdo, Director of Human Resources for Spain and Portugal at Microsoft; Jens Muñoz, Public Affairs & Sustainability Officer of Chiesi; Amelia Aguilar, Communications Director of the ASISA Group; and Jorge Cabrera, Corporate Director of Occupational Risk Prevention at Quirónsalud.

For his part, Germán Granda, General Director of Forética, stated that: “The impact of companies on the health of their employees, specifically on issues related to mental health, is a topical issue in the face of the impacts of the crisis caused due to the pandemic and the growing demand from workers towards companies, which place the employee experience as an increasingly strategic element. Likewise, the importance of contributing to the health of consumers and customers through a range of products and services that promote healthy lifestyle habits and generate a positive impact on their health is becoming more and more important. For this reason, knowing the ‘health footprint’ of organizations from this double perspective -internal and external-, the central theme of the Forética Health and Sustainability Action Group in its current edition, is a key opportunity to contribute to a holistic vision of health from the angle of business sustainability”.

Finally, the companies of the Action Group highlighted how employees increasingly demand more initiatives and other types of extra-financial benefits within the company that favor, not only the correct performance of their duties, but also their health and well-being inside and outside her. Given this context, companies are reinforcing their approach to social aspects, betting on a more strategic integration of health and well-being as the axis of their sustainability agendas, positioning themselves as an element for attracting talent and competitiveness. Without a doubt, those companies with a presence of health and sustainability issues in their action plans have shown to act more resiliently and have better control of negative impacts.