Could healthy eating improve workplace productivity?

Employee health is important to ensure that staff members can handle the pressures and stress of a working day.

Particularly in the public sector, where workers are concerned about state employment opportunities in light of spending cuts, maintaining a strong immune system could be vital to help employees "keep going".

Its not just manual labour workers that need a strong body – from finance jobs to retail jobs, all sectors could benefit from a healthy workforce.

According to the Carole Spiers Group, employers need to ensure that their staff are taking care of themselves.

The employee counselling and stress management firm says the body is a "machine" and it needs to be "serviced" in order to maintain productivity.

Carole Spiers, chief executive of the group, says ignorance of healthy eating often "starts from the top", but employers should be leading the way.

She said: "They are not managing their pressures efficiently.

"They have an increased work load, they are trying to get more from their team and are usually managing on less people than they were before.

"More so than ever, they need to be boosting their immune system and eating the right food to keep their bodies going."

According to Ms Spiers, neglecting a healthy diet can lead to consequences that impact upon productivity and the ability of workers to do their jobs.

She explains that if staff rely on junk foods such as crisps or chocolate in between meetings, their immune systems will begin to break down, leaving them susceptible to coughs, colds and other viruses.

What begins as a quick snack to boost energy during a busy period at work could soon lead to illness, time off sick, and decreased productivity.

Also key to employee health is the ability to manage workplace stress and other pressures that come from demanding jobs.

According to research by Bupa, UK companies are losing almost a full day in productivity as a result of employees failing to take a lunch break.

The health provider's study found that more than a third (34 per cent) of workers feel pressure to work through their lunch hour.

People in office jobs may be tempted to eat lunch at their desk in a bid to keep working.

In addition, half of those polled said the weight of their workload prevents them from taking a break.

While working during lunch breaks may appear to be a way of improving output, employee productivity actually suffers as a result.

Proving that working without a break can be damaging, 48 per cent of workers reported a slump in productivity levels in the afternoon, resulting in 40 minutes of their day being wasted.

In addition, for one in five employees (22 per cent), not taking a lunch hour makes them irritable and stressed, which could further impact upon productivity and could even have a negative effect on their health.

For more information about healthy eating, visit the Food Standards Agency website.

The Direct.gov website offers further advice for employees on lunch break entitlement.

For help with getting your five potions of fruit and veg each day, visit the NHS Choices website.