Review to improve health of workplaces part of government’s £240m ‘back-to-work’ White Paper.
A review examining what employers can do to improve the health and wellbeing of people in work, and the recruitment of disabled people and those with health conditions, is part of a package proposals aimed at getting people into quality jobs.
The White Paper, Get Britain Working, is backed by £240m of investment, and was announced this week by Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall.
The review into healthy and inclusive workplaces will consider what more can be done to enable employers to increase the recruitment and retention of disabled people and those with a health condition, prevent people becoming unwell at work and promote good, healthy workplaces, and undertake early intervention for sickness absence and increase returns to work.
The review will involve engagement with employers, employees, trade unions, health experts, disabled people and those with health conditions, and will complement the government’s labour market reform plans, Make Work Pay, which will tackle job insecurity and expand flexible working.
To support these aims, the government believes there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work, and to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today.
The proposals come as over 9 million people are inactive and a record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness. Young people have also been left behind, with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, and 9 million adults lack the essential skills they need for work.
According to government figures, the UK is also the only major economy that has seen its employment rate fall over the last five years. This has been largely driven by a significant rise in the number of people out of work due to long-term ill health, with an outdated employment support system which, says the government, is “ill equipped” to respond to this growing challenge.
The measures will aim to tackle ill health by reforming NHS services, including a greater emphasis on prevention, and focus on people’s skills and careers by transforming the “outdated” Jobcentre system into a new national jobs and careers service. Mayors and councils will be empowered to join up local work, health and skills support in ways that meet the specific needs of their local areas.
In a carrot and stick approach, the government will also implement measures to overhaul the health and disability benefits system so it “better supports people to enter and remain in work and to tackle the spiralling benefits bill”. The employment reforms will be underlined by the principle that people who can work will be expected to work, with clear consequences if they don’t properly engage with support services.
Responding to the publication of the White Paper, Ceri Finnegan, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), said the White Paper was a welcome step forward, as far too many people are not benefiting from good work. “These plans answer some of what IOSH called for in our pre-election manifesto, including focusing on preventing work-related ill health, delivering inclusive workplaces and equipping people with the skills for the future.
“Our members…already enable safe, healthy work and will be at the forefront of turning these plans into action, driving change on the ground. However, we’d like to see more of a focus on supporting small and medium-sized businesses to ensure they have the resources to invest in prevention and early intervention around occupational health, including mental health.”
Department for Work and Pensions research shows only 18% of people employed by an SME has access to occupational health services, compared with 45% of workers overall, significantly lower than comparative countries.
“We welcome the government’s renewed focus on the link between work and health, said Peter McGettrick, Chairman of British Safety Council, as well as an independent review of how employers can be supported to employ people with disabilities and health conditions, and to help them to stay in work.
“Listening to individuals’ views and needs will be vital here, as well as to employers. Given that the health of the workforce and the nation are so inextricably linked, we would like the government to go further and create a national wellbeing strategy, led by a Minister for Wellbeing, so we can put people’s wellbeing at the heart of all government policy, especially economic growth.”
