IES response to the Department of Health and Social Care's Prevention Vision

5 Nov 2018

Zofia Bajorek, research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), commented:

‘We agree that having preventative measures towards health and wellbeing is important, and employers have a role to play in this, but more needs to be done to effectively promote both the implementation and uptake of wellbeing initiatives. An analysis of employee needs is important to undertake, as those who are most likely to take up an organisation’s offer of fruit and exercise are those who already understand the importance of their own health and wellbeing. It is therefore important that any wellbeing initiatives put in place reach all staff.

‘This is more likely to occur if there is a joined-up approach to employee health and wellbeing, including a culture where this is promoted by staff at all levels of the organisation, where line managers are trained to spot wellbeing issues and refer employees early to services, and where principles of ‘good work’ are embodied (including positive job design, effective reward strategies, employee voice and management support) to reduce the level of work-related stress that has a negative impact on an employee’s health and wellbeing.

‘The workplace is a good and often underutilised arena for the delivery of public health measures and interventions. However, for an effective delivery, a well-structured and joined-up initiative is crucial.’