​​​​​According to the report, ageing, chronic diseases, and unhealthy lifestyles affect the health and productivity of workers:

For this reason, promoting the health of workers benefits workers, employers and taxpayers, and workplace health promotion programmes are worth the investment.

For example, scaling up workplace sedentary behaviour programmes could improve employment and productivity equivalent to an increase of 37 000 workers per year in 30 OECD countries, with a positive economic return of USD 4 for each USD 1 invested:

A positive finding from the study is that an increasing number of companies are implementing health promotion programmes.

The report also explores how governments can facilitate environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment to encourage health promotion at work: companies promoting employee health and wellbeing are of interest to investors that prioritise ESG aspects. This phenomenon is already tangible in the United States, where companies receiving awards for their workplace health programmes have seen a more significant increase in their stock value compared to companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and in Japan, where companies chosen for stock selection performed better on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

This means that supporting ESG investments can create a virtuous cycle, where the incentive for companies to promote employee health and wellbeing is rewarded with a healthier workforce and an increased likelihood of receiving investment.

Governments and other stakeholders are working to make this data usable through regulatory changes requiring companies to provide information on workplace health and wellness programmes in different countries and companies.