The government is to create a workplace health intelligence unit to help reduce employee absence and, therefore, boost productivity.
The move was announced today in an update of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review, the initial findings of which were published in November.
The unit will collect data from employers across the UK to help the government understand the extent of, and to ultimately address, emerging health issues across the country.
Latest figures point to 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness, which is wiping 7% off GDP and costing employers around £85bn a year.
Such a focus is needed with such rising absence caused by illness being tracked inconsistently, while the success of return-to-work initiatives are rarely measured.
The unit will also monitor disability participation in the workplace.
In another update, almost 200 employers and other organisations are backing the review by signing up to be “vanguards” to prevent people from dropping out of work due to ill-health.
They are among more than 250 employers, providers and organisations working with Mayfield to shape how health and disability are supported in the workplace.
MOT
A new initiative outlined by Mayfield is for people to be given health checks by their employer when starting a new job.
He called for the phased introduction of staff health MOTs, starting with large employers or those in certain regions as a pilot for the initiative.
Such practices happen in Japan and Finland, with checks also taking place after long periods of absence.
Mayfield said: “For too long, the system has been organised around supporting people after they get ill or face barriers.
“We need to shift the emphasis to earlier action, better integration, and a genuine, shared commitment to keeping people healthy and in work.
“What’s been striking is not just the quality of insight we’ve seen from vanguards, but the shared ambition and enthusiasm in regions and across such a wide range of employers.
“It’s rare to find an opportunity that benefits employers, improves people’s life chances, and reduces government spending – all without large up-front investment.
“This is growth hiding in plain sight. Our work so far demonstrates this is all achievable and the benefits are significant,” he added.
Serious consideration
On the call for new employees to receive health checks, Florence Brocklesby, founder and managing partner of Bellevue Law, (pictured) said plans to address employee wellbeing and, therefore, productivity should be given serious consideration.
“In our experience, employers who tackle health issues proactively, swiftly and thoughtfully – rather than being passive or afraid of having potentially sensitive conversations – are often better able to support employees to remain in work and perform well.
“However, as Sir Charlie Mayfield’s report proposes, the burden of addressing this cannot fall to employers alone, especially alongside the many other challenges they currently face.
“Employees also have responsibilities, and in particular many experiencing mental health challenges benefit from being in purposeful work, even when this can be difficult, rather than signed off.
“And health provision is required to enable individuals facing health challenges to remain in, or return to, work.”
The update also confirmed that work is underway by the government on a ‘standard’ for employers who offer a certain level of workplace health provision, at a level which is affordable.