Need to know
- Effective occupational health strategies should start with an assessment of workforce demographics and needs.
- There are some universally important issues, such as the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems in all areas of the workforce.
- Line managers are an integral resource in creating an effective, tailored approach to workplace health and safety.
Workplace ill-health can present some worrying statistics: the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Labour force survey data, released in November 2019, found that 1.4 million employees suffered from work-related health issues, new or long-standing, in 2018/19.
Occupational health services offer vital support for many employers. It is not just important to address the urgent health concerns of employees, but also to ensure that the whole workforce is fit and healthy enough to do their job to the best of their ability.
However, health requirements of employees can differ greatly according to factors such as age, work environment and type of occupation, so it is vital for organisations to highlight and implement necessary actions to align an effective support system.
Targeted and universal
Occupational health can cover a range of supports; it not only helps an employer comply with health and safety legislation and risk management, but it can manage sickness absence and aid health promotion. To effectively implement these different facets, an employer must understand its workforce's needs.
Sarah Albon, chief executive at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), says: “Developing effective workplace health strategies should begin with a competent assessment of health needs, taking account of the size and nature of a business, alongside workforce demographics.
“This helps employers understand what actions they need to take, and [how to] target their efforts to ensure compliance with relevant health and safety legislation to make the most impact.”
Although a needs assessment is ideal, there are however some core areas to focus on for any employer. For example, the Labour force survey found that 37% of the new and long-standing cases of work-related health issues in 2018/19 were musculoskeletal (MSK), demonstrating a sizeable issue in the health and wellbeing of employees across the UK workforce.
Mike Blake, wellbeing lead at Willis Towers Watson, says: “Early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important, but many MSK conditions will develop over time with work-related causes including manual handling, lifting and repetitive actions such as keyboard work."
Employers can use occupational health services to address this issue; risk assessment can play a preventative role and help to identify potential problem areas. They can also demonstrate practical workplace adjustments such as providing new equipment or improving office ergonomics, as well as initiatives aimed at encouraging employees to move and stretch regularly.
Demographic needs
Many businesses today have multiple generations and demographics under one roof, and different employee groups can require varied occupational health support.
Generational diversity can bring differing health requirements for the occupational health team. While there is no evidence to suggest older workers have more accidents than their younger cohorts, accidents may result in more serious injuries and longer recovery times.
Paul Nicholson, corporate medical adviser at YourEncore, says: "Good health and safety risk management includes job-specific assessments for older workers to ensure the environment and work practices are safe taking into account any vulnerabilities.
“[Organisation]-wide education programmes are also important, empowering employees to take responsibility for their own musculoskeletal health and to do the right things in the right way.”
Working in environments such as construction, agriculture or manufacturing presents greater risks than office-based locations, therefore, employees in these industries will need more support from occupational health around managing those risks.
"Employers need to make arrangements to manage the risks," says Albon. "These will need to include induction, supervision, site familiarisation and provision of any protective equipment needed, to ensure that the right measures are taken to ensure every employee is working in a safe environment with low risk to injury."
Most organisations with a manual, site-based arm will also house central, office services. These employers must be conscious of the vast differences in occupational health needs for the different pockets of their workforce.
Line manager involvement
Line managers play an important role in ensuring that an occupational health strategy is aligned with the different demographics of a workforce, as they are able to understand the needs and challenges of their own section of the workforce. Empowering managers to make instant decisions on occupational health matters can be vital in tailoring it for the whole workforce.
Rob Woollen, director of health and wellbeing at PeoplePlus UK says: “Making sure that employers are creating a culture where employees can share stories about their health concerns is really important. Making occupational health everyone’s business can significantly aid employers in aligning an effective health support strategy for the whole workforce.”
Blake adds: "Support from supervisors and line managers is important in designing the day-to-day job demands, organisation of work and shift rotas or in facilitating a move by the older worker into supervisory or training roles or by ensuring suitable workplace adjustments."
Aligning an occupational health strategy with a workforce's demographics can significantly improve the productivity and wellbeing of an organisation. Being proactive in addressing health issues can also encourage people to speak up about their underlying health conditions and create a more personal experience.
As Woollen concludes: “To make occupational health accessible for every employee regardless of demographic, we should be taking a much more personal approach, so [employers] can focus specifically on how to improve the health of individuals over arbitrary general measures.”
