There are few things I care about more — professionally or personally — than helping people feel well enough to live, work, and thrive. For me, food, chemistry and health have always been second nature. But what’s clear is that for many people, they simply weren’t given the education, tools, or time to look after themselves. And when that carries into working life, the costs are significant — not just for the individual, but for families, employers, and the wider economy. 

One of the most overlooked drivers of business performance is engagement in the workplace. And the single greatest lever we have to improve it? Prevention. 

The Hidden Cost of Disengagement 

According to Gallup’s 2024 Workplace Report, organisations that prioritise wellbeing see a 12% increase in engagement in the workplace. Yet many businesses still view wellbeing as an optional benefit rather than a strategic imperative. 

We’re facing a quiet crisis. The Deloitte Mental Health Report (2023) estimates the annual cost of poor mental health to UK employers at £56 billion. Much of this is preventable — and yet many businesses are still reacting to illness rather than investing in health. 

This isn’t just a policy gap. It’s a human gap. 

What Prevention Looks Like in Practice 

At Your Work Wellness, we’ve developed a five-pillar model that goes far beyond one-off workshops or wellbeing weeks. It’s about embedding prevention into the fabric of daily working life — with tangible support in the areas that matter most: food, stress, sleep, movement, and emotional wellbeing. 

Let’s take nutrition as an example. Research from King’s College London shows that ultra-processed foods are linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue. And yet, in many workplaces, the most readily available options are high-sugar snacks and caffeine – both of which lead to peaks and crashes in energy and focus. 

Most employees were never taught how to fuel themselves for work. According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, workplace nutrition programmes can improve cognitive performance, reduce absenteeism, and increase job satisfaction. 

And the results show. When we’ve implemented workplace nutrition education programmes with our clients — from engineering firms to legal practices — we see measurable improvements not only in health behaviours but in engagement in the workplace. 

Employee Benefits That Work: Cookery as a Life Skill and Business Strategy 

One of the most powerful — and often overlooked — forms of employee benefit is the opportunity to learn essential life skills that improve daily wellbeing. At Your Work Wellness, we’ve seen first-hand how something as practical and grounding as a cookery class can create a shift in both personal health and workplace culture. 

We currently provide this service for organisations including Jaguar Land Rover, EY, and Shell, offering cookery classes as part of employee learning and personal development. These sessions aren’t just about food — they’re about equipping people with the confidence and capability to make better choices for themselves and their families. It’s a tangible, empowering experience that employees deeply value. 

These classes are structured to support key themes: blood sugar balance, cardiovascular health, reducing inflammation, eating for focus and brain performance, and managing long-term conditions such as diabetes. The benefit is twofold: employees develop a core life skill that enhances their wellbeing, while employers see improved energy, engagement, and resilience. 

This is not anecdotal. A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ, 2022) found that structured workplace nutrition education programmes can reduce fatigue, improve productivity, and enhance mental health. The Harvard Business Review has also highlighted that when wellbeing is embedded into development strategies, companies report stronger employee engagement and retention. 

Cookery is not just a lifestyle trend — it’s one of the few interventions that improves physical health, mental health, social connection, and even financial literacy (as employees learn how to cook well on a budget). It connects to the core of how we live and work. 

For businesses, offering cookery-based learning through personal development vouchers or wellbeing credits is a simple yet effective way to show employees that their health is valued, while supporting them to build habits that last a lifetime. It’s a modern benefit that genuinely benefits both sides — and one that sends a powerful message: we’re invested in you not just as a worker, but as a person. 

Why Women’s Health is a Business Issue 

There’s another dimension we must address: women’s health. 

Nearly 30% of the female workforce in the UK is currently experiencing health issues that impact their ability to work well, particularly around menstruation, endometriosis, PCOS, and menopause. Left unsupported, many women either reduce their hours or leave the workforce entirely — a loss of experience, skill, and leadership potential. 

The British Menopause Society has shown that women in mid-life are among the fastest-growing demographics in the workforce. Yet many employers still don’t have dedicated support for menstrual or menopause-related health. 

At Your Work Wellness, our programmes are designed to support prevention — not just through awareness but through practical education on how nutrition, movement, and stress management can alleviate symptoms and keep women healthy, present, and productive. 

When businesses get this right, the shift in engagement in the workplace is immediate. 

The Economics of Prevention 

The business case is well established. The London School of Economics & Mental Health Foundation reports a £5 return for every £1 spent on workplace mental health. 

Meanwhile, Public Health England has long called for greater workplace involvement in preventive healthcare, citing that healthier employees are more likely to stay, contribute creatively, and recover faster from setbacks. 

When employees are well-supported — not just when they’re unwell — they become more engaged, more loyal, and more capable of delivering sustained performance. 

Engagement in the workplace is not driven by perks. It’s driven by culture. And culture is built through consistent, thoughtful action. 

Changing Lives, Not Just Workplaces 

What moves me most is the ripple effect this work creates. 

When an employee learns how to eat for energy, sleeps better, and feels mentally resilient, the benefits go home with them. Their families feel it. Their relationships improve. Children see new habits modelled. It’s not an overstatement to say that good workplace health strategy can be life-changing — and in some cases, life-saving. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly highlighted that diet and lifestyle are the leading contributors to global disease burden — and yet food education remains one of the most underutilised tools in workplace wellbeing. 

We can change that. And in doing so, we improve engagement in the workplace, retention, and even national productivity. 

A Message to HR and Business Leaders 

If you’re reading this as an HR professional, people director or senior leader, my message is this: you have more influence than you realise. 

You are the gatekeepers to health information that many employees never received. You can turn the workplace into a site of prevention, education, and genuine care. 

And the best part? It doesn’t require dramatic overhauls. 

Small, well-targeted interventions — a webinar on sleep, a cookery-based team-building session, a lunch & learn on stress and blood sugar — are often the catalysts that unlock healthier behaviours and greater engagement in the workplace. 

The question isn’t whether we can afford to invest in prevention.
It’s whether we can afford not to. 

🔑 Key Takeaways 

• Engagement in the workplace is directly linked to employee health and wellbeing 
• Prevention-first strategies reduce absence, improve focus, and increase retention 
• Cookery-based education builds life skills that benefit both personal health and workplace performance 
• Women’s health must be prioritised to prevent needless loss of skilled labour 
• Most employees were never taught how to manage their health — workplaces can fill that gap 
• Small shifts deliver significant ROI when implemented consistently 
• Prevention is not a perk — it’s a performance strategy 
• The ripple effect of wellbeing extends beyond the office into homes and communities 
• Leading employers like EY, Shell and Jaguar Land Rover are already doing this successfully 
• HR leaders can be the spark that transforms lives — and redefines the workplace