How to determine the health of a workforce

In November 2025, the government announced that it intends to tackle ill-health through an employer-led vanguards initiative, focusing on prevention, early support and better return-to-work rates. As a result, it has never been more important for employers to be aware of their workforces’ health and provide support to improve this where they can.

Healthy workplaces

The environment in which employees work can impact their health, so employers should consider whether they are giving them the opportunity and tools within the workplace to stay physically healthy.

Changing their approach could see employees take fewer sick days and become less likely to develop chronic conditions, thereby reducing healthcare costs and fuelling stronger business outcomes, explains Elaine Docherty, director of client management, Europe, global health benefits at Cigna Healthcare.

“Employers should be invested in their workforce’s health because employee wellbeing is inseparable from organisational performance and long-term success,” she explains. ”By recognising the interconnected nature of wellbeing and responding with preventive and adaptive health strategies, employers can create a culture that evolves with their workforce.”

An unhealthy workforce, and a subsequent high absence or turnover rate, may well impact an organisation’s bottom line. Therefore, it can make economic sense to understand the health of a workforce in order to avoid this.

Lyz Swanton, co-founder and chief operating officer of health screening provider Qured, adds: “It’s the right thing to do because employers have a duty of care to who they employ, especially when work impacts their health.”

Determining health of a workforce

To build a picture of a workforce’s health, employers can identify levels of absenteeism and presenteeism through their own data, as well as how employees’ health impacts their daily work and, by extension, the organisation. Surveys can highlight whether employees are utilising the health-related benefits their employer offers.

The underlying themes of a workforce’s health can also be understood through health screening, adds Swanton. “This is key for mental health and physical health because they’re interlinked and impact a workforce’s productivity, how they show up at work and how they affect colleagues,” she says. ”Also, if an employee works in a safety critical workspace and isn’t healthy, it could pose a safety risk.”

Health screenings and assessments can be a good way of determining the health of a workforce, because they can reveal data about employees’ blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), lung function, and fitness. 

Jon Darby, chief growth officer at Bluecrest, says: “Health screenings highlight critical health indicators observed across the workforce, discuss broader impact on employee wellbeing and organisational performance, and identify potential risks associated with untreated or prevalent health trends. They also recommend targeted interventions and strategic [wellbeing] initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles, reduce absenteeism, and enhance productivity and engagement.”

He adds that there are thresholds to ensure data remains fully anonymised, and often it is only reported in aggregate, based on the number of employees eligible for a screening during a given period. 

“For 40 to 100 employees, a short report is provided with limited stratification to safeguard confidentiality and some segmentation may not be included,” he explains. ”For more than 100 employees, a full report is provided with segmentation by test type, gender, and age range, enabling employers to better understand workforce health risks. We typically share information with employers during the final three months of their eligibility period. They may request and receive it earlier, ensuring individual employee health information remains confidential at all times.”

To gain more insight into the health of their employees, organisations can partner with healthcare benefits providers to review health claims, productivity metrics and usage levels. By identifying health trends and potential risks early, employers can invest in preventive care and benefits that reflect needs.

Mike Hay, chief people officer at Benenden, explains: “Monitoring sickness levels and comparing them to see how they change over time is key. It’s also an attraction issue, especially when looking at younger generations going into the workforce, [because] mental health is important to them.”

By integrating insights, organisations can address disparities and implement services for employees’ health, such as physiotherapy and musculoskeletal support, dental and eye care, and dedicated wellbeing support. There is also a financial element, because early health risk detection can reduce long-term medical expenses.

Benchmarking against peers

Employers can benchmark their workforce’s health by tracking a range of measurable indicators. As well as absence levels, these can include turnover and healthcare benefits usage. 

“Analysing benefits plan costs, participation and utilisation provides insight into how offerings compare to industry peers,” says Docherty. “These benchmarks offer a strategic lens for assessing workforce wellbeing and guiding continuous improvement.”

Employers can also benchmark by looking at national averages through the NHS and Office for National Statistics, as well as turnover and benefits provision data compiled by organisations such as Great Place to Work and Glassdoor.

“As there is a variance in the health issues that affect different workforces, it can be hard to benchmark against peers,” says Swanton. ”Providers can benchmark across the industries they work in for clients.”

Meeting employee health needs

Within any workforce, there will be a range of employee health needs and circumstances. Therefore, employers should provide support that covers all eventualities and is flexible enough to suit each individual.

Christine Husbands, commercial consultant at RedArc, says: “A dedicated professional service that provides practical advice, emotional support, guidance to navigate other health services, and signposting to helpful organisations ensures that all employees are catered for and there are no support gaps.”

As some of the current challenges are GP access and long NHS waiting lists, virtual GP services and employee assistance programmes can be useful benefits to offer, ensuring people have access to what they need when they need it. Overall, employers should ensure that when health challenges do arise, employees have access to comprehensive, high-quality care and support, says Docherty.

Offering proactive support, such as health checks and assessments as well as educational awareness, is a preventative measure to help staff stay healthy. Determining the health of a workforce can be achieved using a variety of feedback initiatives, and is critical in order to ensure organisations have productive and happy employees.