As the government focuses on tackling economic inactivity and ill-health in 2025 the role of organizations in society will become more important. Karl Bennett writes.
HR will feel the impact of the government’s Get Britain Working whitepaper this year, particularly when it comes to the reintegration of people on long-term sickness leave who are often dealing with mental health issues.
The white paper makes it clear that the UK is determined to address the growing proportion of economically unactive people.
It is important to get more young people back in the workforce, as well as people with disabilities and long-term illnesses. This will require a number of new policy initiatives and projects.
Get Britain working aims to achieve an employment rate of 80% and has allocated an initial PS240m for the purpose. In the UK, 2.8 million workers of working age are currently off work due to a long-term illness. In 2023 53% of those who were off work due to long-term sickness cited mental health problems as their main cause – an increase of 40% from 2019.
The new government has already shown its willingness to be innovative and controversial in relation to employee health.
It is not only funding the weight loss jabs for the unemployed, but also plans to send ‘job coaches to hospitals’ to support mental health patients in thinking about returning to work and looking at CVs and application forms and dealing with interviews.
As another example, the planned “connect to work” scheme will offer voluntary employment to people with disabilities or health conditions, or other complex barriers that prevent them from being in work. It could support up to 100,000 people per year.
Long-term illness: pressure to deal with it
“Occupational health must be transparent about the actions taken to maximize the positive and to create a culture of ‘good work,’ while also addressing the possibility of insidious harms.”
What’s next? IPPR, a think-tank, has already suggested that employers be fined if they do not provide a “healthy” work environment. As workplace health becomes more prominent, employers and HR will be under more pressure to address the causes of long-term illness, particularly understanding the impact workplaces have on mental health. The meaning of a good employer has changed.
Professionals in occupational health need to prepare for the new focus on wellbeing, as it will become more important.
Work must find the right balance between challenging, risky and requiring effort on the one hand and a sense of safety and fulfilment on the other. The balance between challenge, effort and risk on the one hand, and feelings of fulfilment and safety on the other, is not always present. Neither employers nor employees with poor mental health will benefit from being pushed together.
Starting point is the belief that working is good for you. Work brings with it more than just financial rewards. It also offers a sense purpose, challenges, fulfillment, and the opportunity to be part of a group of colleagues who share similar goals. Employers play an important role in the society.
It is important to be aware of the negative effects of toxic cultures, excessive pressure, and high levels of stress on mental and physical health.
Supporting mental health
Occupational health must be transparent about the actions taken to maximize the positive and to create a culture of ‘good’ work, while also addressing potential harms. It is particularly important when employers are expected to accommodate people with mental illness, whose triggers could have been experiences at work.
Of course, supporting mental health is not just about making “reasonable” adjustments. People who are dealing with complex and difficult issues involving health, finances and relationships need to feel safe and trusting.
Employers will need to show a thorough understanding of the organisational health, given that workplace health is now a major focus in both policy and society.
“The era of offering health and wellness services as an employee perk is over.”
What is the relationship between their employees, their processes and their culture? What are the potential risks of stress and pressure? How can these situations better be managed?
It is important to anticipate and minimise unnecessary stress sources.
This means examining the mechanics of workplace well-being: not only levels, but also trends of types of absence and among which groups. What is the role of managers and what are their styles and types of performance expectations? What are the main and most significant causes of anxiety and stress among teams?
It is important to use and improve the data available for management reporting, as well as the evolution of services and planning in the area of wellness. Employee assistance programmes provide valuable insights into employee concerns, are a way to track changes in the demand for support and offer expert interpretations of what is happening and how best to respond.
These data can be used to justify investment in specific awareness campaigns. Examples include managing stress, financial well-being, menopause, or supporting carers. This can be used to develop management and mental health schemes and services (e.g., more access for family members to counseling and EAP).
The days of offering health and wellness services as an employee perk are over.
OH and well-being have been a central part of the social role that organisations play – and the reputation and status they enjoy as employers – since the negative cycle of work, ill health, and economic inactivity has come to light.
In 2025, a serious and proactive approach will be required.
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