Know Your Numbers Week is an annual campaign held every September (in 2026 it’s the 7th to the 13th of September) dedicated to raising awareness about the significance of understanding and monitoring vital health numbers. This initiative encourages individuals to take proactive measures in managing their health by tracking key metrics such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body mass index (BMI), and more.
But why is Know Your Numbers Week so important for workplaces in particular? Understanding the importance of Know Your Numbers Week can help employers create a healthier, more productive workforce while encouraging employees to take a proactive approach to their wellbeing.
In this blog post, we will delve into the reasons every employer should add it to their workplace wellbeing calendar, and the difference it can make to your staff. If you already know about the benefits of Know Your Numbers Week at work and just need a plan, check out our ideas for Know Your Numbers Week at work blog.
Table of Contents
What Are the Benefits of Know Your Numbers Week for Employers?
It is easy to see how a health check helps an individual. The bigger question for most HR and wellbeing leaders is what it does for the organisation. We believe it comes down to four things.
Fewer Absences
High blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose rarely show symptoms. But they drive a lot of long-term sickness absence. Heart and circulatory disease costs the UK around £29 billion a year. Part of these costs are attributed to lost productivity and care. Helping staff catch these numbers early protects their health and your headcount.
Low Cost
Of all the workplace wellbeing campaigns throughout the year, this is one of the easiest to run. It’s also one of the cheapest. You don’t need a big budget to make a difference. That makes it a smart first step if you’re building a workplace wellbeing programme from scratch.
Identify Issues Early
Findings from these checks can flag a needed visit to the GP before anything serious happens. For employees, this could be life-changing. For employers, it’s the difference between a supported colleague and a long, costly absence.
If you’re worried about absences, it’s worth understanding how to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism at your workplace.
Show You Care
A proactive workplace wellbeing initiative does more for engagement than any policy. Let people check their numbers during the workday. It’s a real show of care, and the kind of thing staff remember.
How Know Your Numbers Week Supports Preventive Healthcare at Work
One of the primary reasons why Know Your Numbers Week is important is its emphasis on preventive healthcare. By actively participating in this campaign, individuals gain the opportunity to regularly monitor their health indicators. This practice allows for the early identification of potential health issues before they develop into more serious conditions.
Regular corporate health screenings can detect warning signs of diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes, even when they are asymptomatic in their initial stages. Many organisations will be using Know Your Numbers Week 2026 to encourage employees to access these checks and take greater ownership of their health. By being proactive about their health, individuals can intervene early and seek appropriate treatment or make lifestyle modifications to manage their conditions effectively.
To put the importance of this in perspective, consider this question: when was the last time you had your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood glucose checked? Chances are you may not have had it done for a long time, especially if you’re under 45. In England alone, there are over 5 million people walking around currently with no idea that they have high blood pressure, simply because they haven’t had it tested.
Raising Awareness about Silent Killers
Know Your Numbers Week plays a vital role in raising awareness about “silent killers” – conditions that often lack noticeable symptoms. As we discussed in the last point, many people will have high blood pressure and not know it. All the time, the condition will be damaging their blood vessels and organs.
Conditions such as high blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol pose significant risks to our health and can lead to severe complications if left undetected and uncontrolled. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that high blood pressure is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases and a major cause of premature deaths worldwide each year.
By participating in Know Your Numbers Week at work, individuals gain a better understanding of the risks associated with these conditions, motivating them to take proactive measures to maintain their health and prevent potential complications. Hosting an event in your workplace, therefore, can help staff lead longer, happier and healthier lives.
Helping Your Staff Make Informed Lifestyle Choices
Another crucial aspect of Know Your Numbers Week is its role in empowering individuals to make informed lifestyle choices. Monitoring and understanding our vital health numbers provides valuable insight into our current health status. This is another reason why the importance of Know Your Numbers Week continues to grow among employers looking to support healthier workplace habits.
For example, tracking our body mass index helps us assess whether our weight falls within a healthy range. BMI is by no means a perfect marker of health, but it is useful as part of a wider understanding of our numbers, when considered alongside stats such as body fat percentage and muscle mass. Similarly, understanding our cholesterol levels allows us to make dietary modifications to reduce our intake of saturated fats and lower the risk of heart disease.
Knowledge about our health numbers empowers us to take control of our health and make positive changes to our daily routine, such as adopting a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, and managing stress effectively.
Learn about Employee Health Screening in the Workplace
Identifying Red Flags for Chronic Diseases
Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease, have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life. Regular health screenings during Know Your Numbers Week facilitate the early identification of risk factors associated with these conditions. For many employers, this highlights why Know Your Numbers Week is important as part of a wider workplace wellbeing strategy.
As we mentioned earlier, there’s a good chance that some of your staff haven’t had their numbers checked recently. In fact, some of them may have never had a blood pressure test at all.
Monitoring blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and other relevant markers enables individuals to take proactive steps to prevent or manage these conditions effectively. This can be especially important if someone’s results are normal or borderline, as simply knowing their numbers can help them on the right path.
For those at risk, by identifying red flags early on, individuals can work closely with their doctor to develop personalised strategies that promote disease prevention and management. This early intervention can significantly improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of chronic diseases. Simply put, it can improve the chances of a longer, happier and healthier life.
Encouraging Healthcare Professionals’ Engagement in Know Your Numbers Week
Know Your Numbers Week fosters collaboration between individuals and their healthcare professionals, emphasising the importance of regular health check-ups and open communication.
With a New Leaf Corporate Health Screening, our skilled practitioners offer attendees some great tools and knowledge about their health numbers. If these numbers show the individual is at risk, we’ll recommend that the attendee visit their doctor, armed with this information, to allow for further investigation. If there’s a problem with the individual’s health, going in with this information can speed up diagnosis and treatment. This is why health screenings are particularly valuable during Know Your Numbers Week for employees, when many people are checking their health numbers for the first time in years.
Furthermore, engaging in conversations about vital health metrics allows healthcare providers to assess an individual’s overall health, offer personalised recommendations, and devise appropriate treatment plans if necessary.
Through this campaign, individuals are encouraged to schedule routine check-ups and establish a strong relationship with their healthcare providers. Regular monitoring of vital health numbers in partnership with a workplace wellbeing provider like New Leaf Health helps to improve the knowledge of attendees and gives them more confidence when speaking to a doctor.
Ultimately, staff who are regularly well-attended to by their doctor will be healthier overall. They’ll be sick less often and are therefore more likely to be more productive at work.
Conclusion
Know Your Numbers Week serves as a powerful reminder of the critical role that preventive healthcare plays in safeguarding our overall wellbeing. It costs little. It asks little of your team. And it gives people information that can change their lives.Whether you’re looking to run Know Your Numbers Week for employees or build a year-round wellbeing programme, providing access to health screenings can make a lasting difference. Download our free Know Your Numbers Week posters to help promote your campaign internally.
The knowledge gained through a simple workplace wellbeing campaign, such as health screening, allows staff to adopt healthier lifestyles, seek timely interventions, and prioritise their wellbeing for a healthier and happier future.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can support your Know Your Numbers campaign at work, feel free to give us a call on 01384 877 855 or email enquiries@newleafhealth.co.uk.
FAQs about Why Know Your Numbers Week is Important
Why is Know Your Numbers Week important for employers?
It gives staff an easy, low-cost prompt to check numbers many have never had measured. Catching high blood pressure, cholesterol or blood glucose early protects your people. It also cuts the absence and lost productivity that hidden conditions cause.
What are the benefits of knowing your blood pressure?
Understanding your blood pressure level helps you determine if you’re at risk of a heart attack or stroke. If your levels are higher than they should be, a plan can be put in place to reduce this, and then further blood pressure checks can be made to see if you’ve made positive progress.
Why should employees get their blood pressure checked?
High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. So most people who have it don’t know. A quick check is the only way to find out. Knowing the number early means you can manage it before it leads to heart disease or stroke.
