Workplace Health Insights: How to take the lead on health at work

Health at work is not something we can ignore. More people than ever are living with long term health conditions, including more than a third of people of working age. This means that most workforces will contain people who have background health issues.

In some ways, work is more flexible than it was in the past, and that’s a good thing. In other ways, the demands on us at work are greater than ever before.

All of this means there is lots of scope for issues to arise at the health/ work interface. When health and work issues arise, organisations must be equipped to address them. As with all challenges in the workplace, the key is staying one step ahead. I asked Chris and Liz Terry from Insight Workplace Health about how organisations can take the lead on health at work. 

How can organisations take the lead on health at work?

1. Talk about health at work 

The organisation must cultivate an environment where significant health issues can be raised and signposted out to support. In order to be authentic approaching this, leaders within the organisation must have a basic understanding of work and health, and why it is relevant to the organisational mission. Employees coming forward must feel confident in the neutral and confidential support structures available to them, whether occupational health is based in house or outsourced. The goal is for employees to feel comfortable communicating to managers when they need work and health support, for managers to recognise when employees need support and for the organisation to respond appropriately. Occupational health can be confusing and it is worth investing in understanding the basics.

2. Curate work and health policies

This is critical and often not done well, if at all. Many organisations do not have systems for documenting or reporting sickness absence, sick pay or sickness absence reviews. Other organisations have these policies, but awareness, implementation and compliance is low.  As a consequence, the workforce and managers experience a lack of consistency that harms organisational performance. Clear and comprehensive policies help guide communication and action on health at work. It’s challenging to write policies compliant with everything from Equality Act legislation to fit note guidance. CPD for executive, HR and people operations professionals is valuable in navigating this. 

3. Think work and health on employment 

Opening up lines of communication on any health and work issues on-employment helps lay the groundwork for successful employment. Understanding the health needs of prospective employees can be important in ensuring they are the right fit for the role in specific cases. It also allows the organisation to get ahead when it comes to accommodations during onboarding, including leveraging government funding for accommodations where appropriate. Insight Workplace Health offers a largely automated on-employment triage process run via a confidential secure online portal. This allows organisations to confidently and efficiently navigate work and health as part of their existing on-employment processes.

4. When something comes up, act quickly 

Health and work are dynamic. People get unwell, and the nature and impact of work can also change. What’s important is rapid detection and triage. This means quickly finding out what’s going on, and how to deal with it. Creating a safe environment for communication on health and work and the policies that underpin this should all be pitched at acting quickly. Delays acting on issues at the interface of work and health generally means problems gather momentum and become harder to solve. Insight Workplace Health has a day one absence call service, where managers can refer out to a clinician the very first day an employee takes sick leave. This gives the organisation and the workforce access to the expertise they need immediately. 

Looking for occupational health to become an extension of your business? Contact us here or call us on 01792 321010 to get the ball rolling today!