Nearly half of the UK workforce, or more than 10 million people, is without access to essential health support, such as routine health checks or flu vaccinations, a study has warned.
The report by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has called for a universal ‘right to a healthy workplace’ for all employees, with occupational health and HR working closer together to embed health provision within their organisations.
Workplace health
Workplace health checks – what employers (and OH) need to know
NHS reform will mean employers need to rethink workplace health too
Younger employees increasingly demanding workplace health benefits
People working in lower-paid industries such as agriculture and hospitality are disproportionately represented in the figures and so most likely to miss out on support, despite working in sectors that are shown to be least healthy for workers.
The publication of the report comes ahead of the second reading of the Employment Rights Bill, which is due be debated in Parliament later today (21 October).
The Bill is proposing a number of changes to employment law such as the universal introduction of sick pay from day one and making flexible working the default.
The RSPH is arguing that, while the Bill is welcome, much more needs to be done to ensure that the UK’s workplaces become a driver of good health across the population. Key recommendations include:
- The government should set a mandatory national ‘Health and Work Standard’, setting a minimum level of support which employees should be entitled to.
- Sick pay should be available from day one of a person’s employment, with pay from the first day they are off sick, and businesses incentivised to pay a living wage to employees while they are off work.
- HR professionals should be upskilled, with support from occupational health specialists, to ensure that they are able to embed health improvement across their organisations.
- Government should explore ways to incentivise employers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to invest in their workforce in the short term, enabling them to reap the long-term rewards of higher productivity.
- Government should work with the Office for National Statistics and business to create standardised data collections on workforce health, so allowing the impact of interventions to be properly monitored and evaluated.
The RSPH has argued that putting an emphasis on building healthier workplaces will help reduce the economic cost of ill health, which is estimated to stand at around £100bn every year.
RSPH chief executive William Roberts said: “We are at a critical time for our nation’s health. Millions of people are leaving the workforce due to ill health. It costs us tens of billions every year. It also puts an additional strain on our health service leaving people languishing on waiting lists.
“The Employments Rights Bill is a big step in the right direction, but we need to go further and quicker. We spend a great deal of our adult lives in and around the workplace. We need to think about how we use our workplaces to build health, keep people well, and prevent people being signed off sick.
“As it stands, our workplaces are exacerbating health inequalities. This means that millions of people that would most benefit from workplace health support are missing out.
“We know that businesses want to do more to build healthy workplaces and support their employees. This report sets out a clear and actionable set of recommendations that will make a real impact if implemented by policymakers,” Roberts added.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
