Keep Britain Working review ‘opportunity to reset’ workforce health

The government’s Keep Britain Working review is an “opportunity to start a national reset on workforce health”, a leading think-tank has said.

But the review, formally announced last week and being led by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield, will need to recognise that supporting employers to keep Britain working “will not be cost-free”, the Work Foundation has added. The review is a key part of the reform agenda announced within the Get Britain Working white paper.

In response to the launch of the review, Alice Martin, head of research at the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said it welcomed the move by government “but we should be under no illusions about the scale of the task”.

Martin pointed to Work Foundation longitudinal research on the UK’s working population that has shown nearly one in ten employees (9%) who experience a decline in health leave work, with most of this attrition happening in the first year, so highlighting the need for early intervention.

“Once someone leaves work due to ill health, it becomes progressively more difficult to support them back into employment,” she said.

“Employers understand the challenges facing their workforce, but many we have spoken to have expressed fear of getting it wrong when supporting workers with their physical and mental health challenges.

“And only around a third of businesses say they are introducing preventative measures to minimise work-related harms to health, such as assessing workplace mental health risks and implementing adjustments to manage workload, work pace and role clarity.

“The Mayfield Review has the opportunity to start a national reset on workforce health, but supporting employers to keep Britain working will not be cost-free.

“At a time when employers are facing rising costs and government spending is under pressure, the review must navigate a tricky balance in identifying support to both workers and employers to reduce the numbers leaving the labour market,” Martin said.

“Nearly half of businesses do not pay above statutory sick pay, despite the UK rate of £116.75 per week being one of the lowest in Europe. SMEs in particular are aware of the challenges but do not always have the resources or capacity to support people to stay in work whilst managing health conditions,” she added.

The review is expected to conclude by the autumn, although the government has pledged to publish “major health and disability benefit reforms” this spring.

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