Table 1.
Generalisability of the source review
| Parameters | Australia | United Kingdom (UK) | Comments/assumptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| SME proportion | 99.7 % [42] | 99.9 % [43, 45] | UK effectiveness estimates in report derived from similarly high proportion of SMEs to Australia* |
| Industry types | 85 % of SMEs operate in the service sectors (construction (14 %), professional/scientific/technical (12 %), retail trade (10 %) and others including education, accommodation, transport, utilities), with the remaining in agriculture/forestry and fishing (8 %), manufacturing (6 %) and mining (1 %) [24] | Data from 9 industries: manufacturing, finance, public service, utilities, business services, construction/engineering, retail, education, others [21] | Good range of industry types relevant to Australian industry. Construction industry reported effectiveness for occupational health and safety (OH&S) interventions only |
| Aging population | In 2005, median age 36.6 years [46] By 2050, median age 45 [47] 1 in 4 Australians aged 65 years or over by 2056 [48] |
In 2005 median age 39 years [46] By 2050, median age 43 [47] Between 1971 and 2006, those aged 65 years increased by 31 % [21] |
Similar population aging demographics |
| Aging workforce | By 2050, 26 % over 65 years [49] | By 2024, 50 % over 50 years [50] By 2050, 24 % over 65 years [49] |
Similar workforce demographics |
| Drivers | Human capital**, government initiative, OH&S [51] | Government, social responsibility, rising cost of human capital [21] | Similar implementation drivers |
| Intervention targets | SNAPS (i.e.: smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, stress) behavioural and lifestyle health risks [23] | 51 % (28/55) lifestyle (i.e.: smoking cessation, healthy diet and subsidised exercise programmes) 58 % (32/55) OH&S [21] | Lifestyle interventions focus on similar behaviour change targets to those encouraged in Australia and are also those most commonly seen in research of behaviour modification health interventions in the workplace |
Source review: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was commissioned by the Health Work Wellbeing Executive to undertake a review of the business case for workplace health, which included a review of 55 case studies from United Kingdom organisations [21]
* There were seven SMEs (small to medium enterprises) of the 55 case studies in the source review; two measured absenteeism, one measured staff retention, three measured both absenteeism and staff retention, and one measured absenteeism (from OH&S interventions only). In their reported benefits, all SMEs saw decreased absenteeism and improved retention
** Human capital: drivers include talent attraction, retention and ideas of broader corporate social responsibility. This approach also seeks to improve productivity and reduce workforce absenteeism [51]