Occupational Health Trends in the UK for 2018

Occupational Health Trends in the UK for 2018

Occupational Health Trends in the UK for 2018

This time last year, we predicted what we thought would be the occupational health trends in the UK for 2017.

Now that everyone is making their New Year resolutions for 2018, we thought it was about time we looked at some of the things business owners should focus on when it comes to health and wellbeing in the workplace for the New Year and beyond.

The Wellbeing Agenda

We believe that 2018 will be the year when wellbeing becomes a boardroom priority and a key differentiator for employers.

Employee health & wellbeing is not simply an initiative that offers employees free fruit or gym vouchers. Instead, going forward the focus will be on creating a business culture where people thrive, acknowledging the importance of mental and physical wellbeing.

Greater openness around mental health is leading to an increased demand for people seeking support, resulting in employers extending their mental health support provision. 

The younger generation is more likely to talk about mental health issues, so we need to be tailoring communications differently for the diverse generations working in our organisations.

Empowerment in the Workplace

Much of wellbeing starts with empowering people to feel confident enough to speak up when they feel overwhelmed.

The key is encouraging people to take personal responsibility for their emotional and mental health, which means that management must be prepared to address the stigma.

Dr Paul Litchfield, chair of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, echoes this message and urged leaders to put wellbeing at the top of their recruitment agenda.

“All organisations are desperate to get talent and if we want to get the best people then we’ve got to appeal to what they are interested in, and they are interested in well-being,” said Litchfield.

“Organisations can ignore that if they want and get second-rate people, but our businesses will absolutely crash and burn.”

A Cultural Shift

Wellbeing in the workplace is an area of increasing focus for companies keen to improve their culture, working environment and employee performance.

This agenda has now cascaded across organisations of all sizes. Whereas in the past this was seen very much as a large corporate agenda, what we’re increasingly seeing is that small businesses can engage in this agenda as much as large businesses.

Enabling employees to take control of their wellbeing is having a huge effect on improving satisfaction and retention, as well as helping companies attract new talent.

Wellbeing is not just one of the health trends, it’s about creating a culture and environment where people thrive. For wellbeing to become an integral part of company culture, it is crucial that any approach aligns authentically with the company’s core purpose.

At Fusion Occupational Health, we’re here to help our clients’ employees lead healthier lives by establishing health surveillance and screening programmes and creating bespoke occupational health strategies.

We recognise that, for many organisations, 2018 will be the year when improving the health and wellbeing of staff becomes a major business goal.

Our Health & Wellbeing portal has been designed to help both employers and employees better understand how lifestyle choices are directly affecting their health.

If you’d like to find out how we can help, contact our team today.

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