Work, health and well- being Hugh Robertson TUC

Health and Work No question that work and health are interlinked BUT - work itself is not necessarily good for health Work makes millions of people ill every year HSE figures indicate that 2.1 million people are suffering from a work-related illness. Over 70% of work-related sickness absence is stress and MSDs but work can also lead to cancers, asthma, COPD, dermatitis, etc.... Growing evidence of work being a cause of obesity, diabetes, heart failure and drug/alcohol abuse. All of these are preventable by the control of risk. Not just the actual work that harms health but also the rewards. Income inequality is the biggest cause of health inequality

Health and Work – The upside But work can also play a positive role People at work are healthier than those not at work Can be taken as work is good for you. Not true. Good work has better health outcomes than surviving on benefits. In recent years more emphasis has been put on promoting well-being, especially to deal with issues like stress, obesity, smoking, and alcohol which are just as likely to have their causes outside the workplace. Is this good or bad?

What is well-being? OED – The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. The Government now measure it – “The aim is to provide a fuller picture of how society is doing by supplementing existing economic, social and environmental measures.”...and the NHS website lets you measure your own. The same as wellness and “absence of physical and mental illness.

Also a marketing tool In addition to the obvious products like training courses, health products, foods, records, etc, the name well- being or wellness is being used to sell anything from pillows to bach rescue remedy gummy stars. A few of my favourites

Well-being in the workplace In US companies spend $6 billion a year on wellness/well-being programmes. Increasingly, participation in wellness programmes is a requirement of getting health insurance through employer. Recent appearance of “well-being” contracts where employees agree to certain requirements. Well-being is growing in popularity in UK, sometimes general programmes round health checks, smoking and exercise but often related to stress “management”. Is this a good or a bad trend?

Promoting health through work The workplace can have a role in promoting health. Among those that are popular are: –Exercise classes at lunchtime –Access to a gym –Cycling –Sponsorship of sports and social activities –Provision of showers –Healthy eating –Smoking cessation programmes –Employee Assistance programmes Workers like well-being initiatives! Must be seen as an add-on – not an alternative to prevention. However the opposite is happening – especially on stress.

Stress One of the biggest causes of work-related sickness absence Closely linked to MSDs Clear evidence of how it can be reduced – HSE Stress Management Standards There use has fallen in last five years. Been replaced with other initiatives –Awareness-training –Coping strategies (CBT, mindfullness etc.) –Resilience training –Even on-site massage, reflexology etc. All concentrating on the worker – not the workplace No evidence that they can reduce development of stress-related illness All easier for the employer than prevention

Using the workplace to deal with health issues Emphasis should firstly be on prevention but work can also be used to promote good health. Work can be a rewarding, fulfilling part of our lives if it is organised properly Best way of improving well-being in the workplace is by changing how work is organised, not by concentrating on changing the worker. We need to promote “Good work”, but what is “Good”. No standards or measures available. However very little of the work and well-being initiatives have really dealt with improving work. Instead they focus on the individual.

Change Individual or environment Nowhere near developing “good-work” but where are we in actually removing the causes of bad health? Government and employers put emphasis on what individuals should do. However the problem is often the working environment Link with obesity and sedentary work, also working time, alcohol and other drugs and stress, etc. If work is the problem then change the work, not the worker.

Well-Being “Those who promote well-being in the workplace should not allow it to be confused with health and safety requirements” – Temple review 2013.

Involving workers Well-being is often something employers do “to” or “for” workers – may be seen as patronising. Employers may use ”well-being” as a way of cutting out unions and get round their legal obligations to consult and involve workers. Well-being ambassadors and well-being committees appointed by management unlike safety reps. Can cut across union role. Unions can and do run their own well-being campaigns but ensure that they link them with prevention. TUC has published guidance on how unions and management can support these

Positive benefits But there are examples where employers are trying and where that is happening, despite any reservations, we want to be involved and supportive. Social activities have been an important part of work culture for centuries and still have a role. Employers should be supportive. Sometimes just supporting employees to do things together can be useful because it strengthens team working. It does not have to be “well-being”. Well-being work can be far les confrontational than dealing with issues such as employment rights and pay and can help develop cooperation between unions and management.

Focusing on outcomes Many of the initiatives I mentioned are really positive but are they making a difference? Often makes some workers feel uncomfortable around issues over weight etc. or are pressurised. Sports and social events are often male-orientated or around alcohol. Can be a cost to the worker (gym deals, tax etc.) Long term sustainability? Where is the evidence? Too few interventions have any evidence base Must be monitoring and evaluation. Also important to involve the workers themselves.

Summary For unions we want prevention of illness, respect at work, security and decent pay. Need to promote “good work”, but first that must be defined. These are what will lead to “well-being”. Not on- site massage. But not all causes of ill-health are related to work so employers and unions should work collectively to use the workplace to improve the health of the workplace.