This will help to ensure that an employer’s approach to inclusive employment and progression is integrated across the organisation and taken seriously be managers and employees. The UK government has launched a Voluntary Reporting framework to support employers to report on disability, mental health and disability.

Health and wellbeing shouldn't be treated as an ‘add-on’ or ‘nice-to-have’ activity by organisations – if employers place employee wellbeing at the centre of their business model and view it as the vital source of value creation, the dividends for organisational health can be significant. A healthier and more inclusive culture.Our 2022 Health and wellbeing at work survey identified the top three benefits of employers increasing their focus on employee wellbeing: Employers need to look beyond absence statistics to understand the underlying factors, such as unmanageable workloads, that are driving unhealthy working practices and influencing people’s wellbeing. These findings are not signs of a healthy workplace. Two-thirds (67%) have also observed some form of ‘leaveism’, such as using holiday entitlement when unwell or to work, over the past 12 months. The survey also found evidence of a range of unhealthy working practices such as ‘presenteeism’ (people working when unwell), with 81% of organisations reporting presenteeism among people working from home and 65% in a physical workplace. Our 2022 Health and wellbeing at work survey report shows that organisations’ wellbeing activity is increasingly focused on mental health with most organisations taking steps to support mental health and address workplace stress. This has led to a growing recognition of the need for employer wellbeing practices to address the psychosocial, as well as the physical, aspects of health and wellbeing. There’s been a rise in the number of reported mental health issues over the past 10 years, and it’s well recognised that many risks to people’s health at work are psychological. All employees should be encouraged to have a good self-care routine including a healthy approach to diet and sleep. They need to ensure line managers in particular have the ongoing guidance needed to support their teams, so they can have sensitive conversations with individuals and signpost to expert help where needed. The people profession is in a unique position to drive forward this agenda, to convince senior managers to make it a priority, and ensure that line managers are confident and capable to support their team’s wellbeing.Įmployers should ensure they have a holistic framework in place to support people’s physical health and safety, and mental health, and offer sources of help such as counselling, an employee assistance programme and occupational health services where possible. To gain real benefit, employee wellbeing priorities must be integrated throughout an organisation, embedded in its culture, leadership and people management.

However, wellbeing initiatives often fall short of their potential because they stand alone, isolated from the everyday business. Investing in employee wellbeing can lead to increased resilience, better employee engagement, reduced sickness absence and higher performance and productivity. This means creating an environment that actively promotes a state of contentment, benefiting both employees and the organisation. Healthy workplaces help people to flourish and reach their potential. Promoting and supporting employee wellbeing is at the heart of our purpose to champion better work and working lives because an effective workplace wellbeing programme can deliver mutual benefit to people, organisations, economies and communities.

Bringing a work group back in focus