Work and health needs of younger workers

Chris Terry, Director at Insight Workplace Health, and I have been discussing the changing work and health landscape for some time. Long before the publication of the Milburn report, Chris was highlighting the challenges increasingly appearing in Insight's occupational health workflows involving younger workers. Our conversations often returned to the same question: does occupational health intervene early enough? We recently discussed whether in some cases, support could begin even further upstream, perhaps during education, before difficulties become entrenched barriers to work.

The recently published Milburn interim report highlights the scale of the challenge. Almost one million 16–24-year-olds in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The report explores a range of contributing factors, including rising levels of reported mental ill health and disability among young people.

Have the health needs of young people changed? 

There remains debate about how much of the increase in mental ill health particularly among young people reflects a true rise in prevalence and how much reflects greater awareness, recognition and willingness to seek support. However, from an employer perspective, the distinction is somewhat academic. Regardless of the cause, employers are encountering more young people reporting symptoms and requiring workplace support than previous generations. In practical terms, the need is greater whether the underlying driver is increased prevalence, increased recognition or both.

At the same time, health services are struggling to meet demand. Long waiting lists for assessment and treatment mean many young people enter the workforce with unmet health needs. Whether those needs relate to mental health, neurodiversity or long-term health conditions, they can affect confidence, engagement, attendance and performance at work.

The result is that challenges previously managed within healthcare become workplace issues for employers to navigate.

Do wider societal changes have an impact?

Health is only ever one part of the story with work and health. The transition to adulthood for the current cohort of young people entering the workforce looks very different from previous generations. Housing affordability, financial insecurity and wider cost-of-living pressures disproportionately affect younger workers.

Housing affordability ratios (calculated by comparing earnings with house prices) demonstrate that purchasing a home through earnings alone is significantly more challenging than it was a generation ago. These wider economic changes are relevant because they shape people’s relationship with work. If employment no longer provides the same route to financial security and independence that it once did, this may well influence motivation, engagement and perceptions of work. There is a wider psychosocial impact of all working conditions, including pay. 

Technology has also transformed both how we live and how we work. Many roles now require individuals to navigate multiple communication streams simultaneously: email, instant messaging platforms, virtual meetings and face-to-face interactions. This places increasing demands on executive function skills such as prioritisation, organisation and attention management. Alongside this, hybrid and remote working have reduced opportunities for informal learning, mentoring and relationship-building. Some younger employees now onboard into organisations almost entirely remotely, with fewer opportunities to develop workplace confidence, networks and professional identity.

Employers as stakeholders in the health and work of young people 

Employers need to attract, develop and retain young talent, while also supporting attendance, productivity and engagement. Future growth and sustainability of the workforce depends on this, at organisational level and at the wider level of the UK economy. However, when health issues arise in younger workers, employers are limited in what they can do to help. Signposting employees out to national health service support does not always mean timely input. Increasingly, employers are finding themselves managing the practical consequences of gaps elsewhere in the system.

How occupational health can help 

Occupational health can provide advice for managers and employees when concerns first emerge. This means the organisation does not have to get involved in clinical or confidential conversations, helping reduce pressure on line managers and employees. 

Occupational health can provide advice on workplace adjustments and neurodiversity support for employees even if they are pending a treating clinician assessment or diagnosis. Insight Workplace Health has two in-house psychologists available for expert clinical advice as well as supervising a multidisciplinary team of professionals on hand for support with everything from specialist equipment to coaching. The Insight ergonomics offering now includes more advanced office planning solutions that organisations are using to improve environmental conditions such as noise and light to benefit the whole workforce. 

Occupational health can also help advise on wider workplace policy support, helping employers take an evidence-based approach to workforce health whether through health data and trend analysis, risk assessment or prevention and workforce education. 

Takeaways

The health, social and economic realities facing younger workers are different from those experienced by previous generations. Employers are becoming more active stakeholders       in issues that were previously the domain of healthcare only. Employers that recognise these changes and invest in proactive work and health support will be better positioned to attract, retain and develop the workforce they need.

Looking Ahead

As the needs of younger workers continue to evolve, so too must the way organisations support them.

Occupational Health has an important role to play in helping employers respond proactively through early intervention, practical workplace advice and evidence-based support.

To learn more about how Insight Workplace Health can support your workforce, explore our Occupational Health services or contact our team for an informal discussion.