New research has revealed that two thirds of UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the leisure industry have no schemes in place encourage staff to exercise or eat healthily.

Finance provider GE Capital found that more than half - 54 per cent - of SME owners or managers believe the provision of free health checks could make a difference in promoting healthy workplaces. Less than one in ten businesses encourage workers to take a lunch break, while only 25 per cent have implemented schemes designed to encourage healthy eating and exercise.

GE Capital interviewed 500 SME owners and managers as part of the research, with nearly a fifth of businesses reporting a loss of at least 25 days each year due to staff-related health issues. Nearly 30 per cent of businesses do not think anything can be done to change the support they currently provide to employees, while 19 per cent believe more information would be beneficial.

John Jenkins, chief executive officer at GE Capital, said: "Against a backdrop of growing pressure on NHS budgets and a need for SMEs to drive economic growth, anything that can be done to enable SMEs to invest more to promote a healthier lifestyle amongst their employees has got to make economic sense. "Healthy workplaces will result in a higher level of productivity, while minimising any health insurance costs that small firms may have."