Workplace health should be a priority for everyone. For employees, maintaining health and well-being at work is essential because we spend so much of our lives working . For employers, worker health is an important determinant of productivity .
According to the Canadian Human Resources Professionals Association, the cost to Canadian businesses caused by absenteeism (absence from work due to sickness) and presenteeism (attending work despite being ill) is about $16.6 billion annually . Workplace health initiatives can play an important role in promoting healthy employee lifestyles.
These initiatives can reduce absenteeism and health-care costs by more than 25 per cent . If an organization benefits from having a healthy workforce, then investing in the health of workers makes economic sense. However, not all organizations follow this approach.
Some large corporations have been criticized for their health practices with Amazon having been accused of replacing burned-out employees with new ones to ensure a continuous supply of healthy employees. Over the years, media outlets and organizations dedicated to workers’ rights have documented the high injury rates of employees at Amazon facilities that have been nearly double that of similar workplaces . A 2019 report by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health revealed that 13 people died while working for Amazon in the United States between 2013 and 2019.
In the past, Amazon has appeared unconcerned about labour attr.