Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsHealth and safetyWellbeing

Employee health debate leads to bout of ‘hopeless confusion’

by Georgina Fuller 29 Nov 2005
by Georgina Fuller 29 Nov 2005

There is “hopeless confusion” in the debate over who should take responsibility for the health of employees, it was claimed last week.

At the ‘Whose Health is it Anyway’? debate in London, hosted by Bupa, speakers made the case for employers, individuals or the government, but there was little consensus.

Lord David Lipsey, chairman of the Social Market Foundation think-tank, said it was about striking the right balance between the government’s support and the contribution that employers and individuals have to make. He said no-one seemed to have all the answers.

“The state will provide the basic minimum of healthcare, but you’ll have to find the rest yourself,” he said. “There is argument as to how much state involvement there should be. There is hopeless confusion at the heart of the debate.”

Dr Bill Gunnyeon, medical director at the Department for Work and Pensions, said employers had a key role in improving staff health.

“Work provides an opportunity to promote and improve health,” he said. “Organisations can create a positive culture and a healthy, supportive environment.”

He said the government had an important role to play.

“The government needs to ensure it has a co-ordinated approach to all policies relating to work and health,” he said. “It must give priority to the health of working-age people.”

Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas think-tank, accused the government of scaremongering with excessive health warnings and placed responsibility solely at the door of the individual.

“All this talk about health is actually making us ill,” she said. “We are free agents and should be trusted to conduct our lives however we want to.”

Delegates were similarly divided. When questioned, almost 60% said that the individuals should bear most responsibility and 39% said the government should manage health at work.


Avatar
Georgina Fuller

previous post
Directors group slams plans to abolish OFR rules
next post
Companies feel weight of pensions responsibility

You may also like

The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls

24 May 2022

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

Tube strike on 6 June to see 4,000...

24 May 2022

Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022,...

24 May 2022

Top 10 metrics HR leaders are using today...

24 May 2022

Hybrid working trends: ONS data on where people...

23 May 2022

Aspers casino cashier excluded by colleagues wins £75k...

23 May 2022

NHS should upskill admin staff to reduce waiting...

23 May 2022

Pay gap between CEOs and employees set to...

23 May 2022

Occupational health key to helping employers manage long...

23 May 2022

  • The importance of being an ethical leader and how to become one PROMOTED | What is ethical leadership?...Read more
  • RPO Report: 2022, The Year to Outsource PROMOTED | Employers should be overwhelmed with choice...Read more
  • Report: Enabling organisational agility through talent & people success PROMOTED | Work has been challenged...Read more
  • Employee Trends 2022 report PROMOTED | Edenred research on employees analysed the key employees’ trends for 2022...Read more
  • How finance apprenticeships can boost business PROMOTED | As the world’s most forward-thinking professional accountancy body...Read more
  • Paul Devoy: Showing appreciation to the Investors in People community PROMOTED | Ask most people what comes to mind when you mention Investors in People...Read more
  • White paper: How digitalisation can support evolving occupational health PROMOTED | Download this free white paper to discover how digitalisation can help occupational health meet emerging challenges...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today