Being well in a changing world

By Marcus Herbert, Head of Wellbeing, British Safety Council

The world is changing at an unprecedented pace, from the return of war in Europe and armed conflict in the Middle East, the challenges are immense. In the UK, health outcomes lag similar developed nations, economic growth has been largely stagnant, and levels of economic inactivity continue to rise.

Amid this social, political and economic context, how employers approach worker wellbeing has grown in importance. We spend an estimated one-third of our lives at work, and more and more we recognise the potential that the working environment can impact upon our wider physical, psychological and emotional health.

From June 2023 to September 2024, the British Safety Council and the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) undertook a joint research project – Being Well in a Changing World – which set out to understand what employers were doing to support worker wellbeing, what is guiding and driving wellbeing support, and whether needs differ for different worker groups/ demographics.

Our research identified several key takeaways:

• A lack of agreed definition: there is no universally accepted definition of wellbeing, which leads to inconsistencies in research and practice.
• Measurement challenges: the absence of a standardised metric for measuring wellbeing complicates the assessment and comparison of wellbeing across different organisations and sectors.
• Diverse perspectives: wellbeing priorities differ among various demographics and subgroups, highlighting the need for a more inclusive and targeted approach.
• Impact of change: rapid technological, environmental and social changes will define the next century, leading to uncertainty and anxiety for employers and employees alike.
• Policy and practice gaps: there is a disconnect between academic wellbeing research and its practical application, necessitating further research and integration.

Our report goes on to make five principal recommendations to ensure that worker wellbeing is better supported. These are:

• Create and adopt standardised metrics for assessing wellbeing. Better measurement will lead to better understanding. Creating and adopting measures of wellbeing, through a set of standardised metrics by which wellbeing can be assessed, will facilitate consistency and comparability.
• Align workplace wellbeing offerings with wider occupational health and safety strategies. Understanding that healthier and happier workers are also safer workers will, in turn, create a virtuous circle.
• Foster an industry wide culture that encourages organisations to learn from each other. Growing the good practice evidence-base, through the sharing of wellbeing data and resources, will collectively raise wellbeing standards.
• Ground wellbeing strategies in a holistic approach, integrating physical, financial, emotional, psychological needs to improve overall health and wellbeing, inside and outside of the workplace.
• Ensure wellbeing strategies work at an organisation, person-by-person, and group level. Wellbeing priorities differ amongst differing groups. Most commonly these differences are driven by demographic characteristics such as age, gender and religion. Recognise that wellbeing needs differ between different people and groups, and design for a diverse workforce. Ensure that interventions are provided which cover all of your specific groups.

It is equally important for legislators and policymakers to understand that wellbeing – particularly the improvement of such, will remain a complex issue alongside the rapid social, ecological, technological and economic change that will continue to define the future. But improvements in wellbeing will bring real benefits to employers and employees alike.

By addressing the identified gaps and implementing these recommendations within our report, employers can better support and enhance worker wellbeing to keep their employees well in a changing world.

Download the report here: https://bit.ly/40qJqzc