Workplace wellbeing is a big step towards greater productivity

Improving wellbeing at work and reducing economic inactivity are high priorities nationally and locally. With Coventry & Warwickshire selected as one of 15 pilot areas for a new Workwell scheme to integrate employment and health support, employers in the area can address their skills gaps and benefit from a more productive workforce. Warwickshire County Council’s Public Health Delivery Manager (Wellbeing and Workforce) Jo Southan explains.

There has long been an ambition in Warwickshire and across the UK to increase employment opportunity and raise the numbers of people in work. With the launch of the Back to Work Plan in 2023 and release of the Back to Work white paper in November this year, there is more focus and support than ever to decrease economic inactivity and get more people into work.

Economic inactivity is defined as people not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last four weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next two weeks. Reasons behind this can be complex and include caring responsibilities, studying, having an illness or disability or early retirement. By contrast, being unemployed is different because whilst the individual does not have a job, they will be available for work and actively looking for it.

The rise in the number of people economically inactive means there is a shrinking population of working age, making it harder to grow the economy, heightening the risk of inflation and costing the government more, both in terms of benefits and because fewer people are contributing to the economy through consumer spending or tax payments. For businesses, the recruitment pool is smaller, making it harder to recruit into low-paying occupations.

From a Public Health perspective, there is a clear relationship between economic inactivity and health. Places with higher economic inactivity see a correlation to people being more likely to have a lower healthy life expectancy. Therefore, there is a health benefit to supporting people to find, return to or stay in work.

The ambitions of the Get Britain Working white paper include:

• Merging National Career Services with jobcentres to provide more tailored and comprehensive support to help people into work
• The introduction of a Youth Guarantee (18-21) ensuring that every young person is offered a job, training or educational opportunity
• Improving employment outcomes via the NHS and wider healthcare with more elective appointments available and an increase in NHS staff especially in the field of mental health
• An independent review of how employers can foster healthy and inclusive workplaces to prevent health-related economic inactivity in the first place.

On top of this, a new scheme - Workwell - has been launched across 15 pilot areas, including Coventry & Warwickshire. This scheme integrates employment and health support and is designed to help people with health conditions back into work.

How can all of this benefit an employer? The aim is to reduce economic inactivity, which is anticipated to grow the size and diversity of the workforce. With more support to help young people, individuals with disabilities, and those with health conditions into work, employers will benefit from access to previously unused talent pools. Reduced waiting time for surgeries could bring employees back to work quicker and, with the government’s focus on making workplaces healthier and more accommodating/flexible, employers who align to these standards could become more able to attract, recruit and retain talent.

To support local businesses to achieve healthier and inclusive workforces, Warwickshire County Council’s Public Health team delivers regular Workplace Wellbeing Forums. Since 2022 the team has hosted five events across Coventry and Warwickshire which are free to attend for any employer of any industry and size.

The Wellbeing Forums have so far had 94 workplaces represented from varying industries and almost 200 attendees. They have covered a wide range of themes including mental health and suicide prevention, musculoskeletal health at work, menopause, recruitment and retention, healthy ageing, and social/financial wellbeing matters. Industry expert speakers and local services attended to provide information to support employers with different aspects of health & wellbeing strategies and initiatives while local employers have shared their wellbeing journeys and best practice.

Two further events are planned for 2025 followed by a 2026 Celebration Event to commend and share all the amazing work being done across the region to make Coventry and Warwickshire a healthy place to work.

For more information on previous forums and for booking upcoming events, please visit https://www.wellbeing4life.co.uk/resources/workplace-wellbeing-forum