- Most employers are failing to understand the impact of having access to good quality occupational health advice on employee health, with only 12% listing it as a top factor.
- Mental health problems account for 41% of long-term work absences. However, fewer than one-third (32%) of UK organisations offer training for managers to help support employees facing mental health challenges.
- Professor Neil Greenberg, President of SOM, said: “It is now incredibly clear that investing in employee health is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic necessity. Without such investment, companies will suffer from decreased productivity, high levels of sickness absence and will unnecessarily lose experienced staff. Making better use of occupational health professionals is critical to the successful implementation of the Mayfield recommendations.”
SOM welcomes Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working report and its Vanguard plans, which calls for a transformation in how the UK supports people to stay healthy and in work. SOM agrees on its focus on good work and good health, but warns that reforms will only succeed if DWP/DHSC programmes are underpinned by strong work and health expertise led by occupational health professionals.
Occupational health professionals provide specialist advice to support employees’ physical and mental health at work, and is essential for keeping people at work, supporting their return after illness, and preventing long-term sickness. Across the UK, occupational health boosts economic productivity, reduces welfare claims and healthcare pressures, and strengthens social cohesion. For employees and organisations, it improves mental well-being, social networks, and self-esteem. Without its input, these well-intentioned reforms risk failing.
SOM’s polling reveals that many organisations are not implementing occupational health due to a lack of understanding. Only 12% of organisations see access to occupational health as a top factor for employee health. Work-life balance (90%), a competent line manager (75%), and a supportive workplace culture (74%) were cited as the key reasons – all of which can be improved and assisted by occupational health. The primary barriers to occupational health are cost (22%) and the perception that it is only for complex issues and long-term absences (17%).
Mayfield’s Vanguard framework emphasises shared responsibility between employees, employers, and health services – a bridge that occupational health is uniquely positioned to provide. To ensure the effective development and implementation of employer-led approaches, including the proposed Health Working Standard, Workplace Health Provision (WHP) by 2029, and the creation of a Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU), occupational health leadership and expertise must guide their development.
SOM supports Mayfield’s call to shift from a “reactive culture”, where HR avoids contacting staff on long-term sick leave, to active engagement to rehumanise the workplace. Input from occupational health professionals is crucial for this to become a reality. While Mayfield is right that GPs and healthcare professionals should be involved in the development of the WHP, and particularly stay-in-work and return-to-work plans, occupational health input will be critical for effective implementation. Occupational health professionals are ideally placed to train and guide non-clinical WHP professionals and managers, facilitate employers’ engagement in workplace health initiatives, ensure appropriate adjustments for all employees, and to help improve mental and physical health. With this support, workplaces can maintain productivity, reduce and shorten absences, helping employees return even with health challenges.
Occupational health interventions not only help people return to work but also drive productivity and profitability. A case study from Manchester University Foundation Trust showed that early intervention for people with musculoskeletal disorders significantly reduced absenteeism and delivered substantial benefits. Occupational health interventions – especially mental health and ergonomic initiatives – improve workplace wellbeing, and should be a fundamental part of Mayfield’s reforms.
As Mayfield’s report points out, access to occupational health is currently unevenly distributed across employer size, with 92% of larger employers offering some form of occupational health compared to just 18% of smaller employers. SOM supports the report’s suggestion that there is a strong case for financial support for employers adopting these practices, particularly in the case of SMEs. SOM suggests the Treasury could also explore how insurers could reduce premiums where occupational health provision is in place, helping alleviate ill health and legal costs, increasing the affordability of occupational health for SMEs.
Professor Neil Greenberg, President of SOM, said: “Too many employees leave jobs unnecessarily as their employers do not have access to expert work and health advice. It is now incredibly clear that investing in employee health is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic necessity. Without such investment, companies will suffer from decreased productivity, high levels of sickness absence and will unnecessarily lose experienced staff.
“SOM considers that it is vital that the Mayfield’s recommendations are turned into practical actions in order to create workplaces where employees with health complaints remain productive. Making better use of occupational health professionals is critical to the successful implementation of the Mayfield recommendations. Helping people remain in, or return to, good work is a win-win-win situation for employers, employees and for the nation.”
The Keep Britain Working: Final report can be accessed here.