"Workers well-being is a key factor in determining
an organisation's long-term effectiveness.
Many studies show a direct link between productivity levels
and the general health and well-being of the workforce."
ILO 2020
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CIPD - Wellbeing
A page of wellbeing resources from the CIPD which includes links to guides, reports, factsheets and podcasts on the business benefits of a wellbeing programme and how to promote wellbeing in an organisation.
Health and Wellbeing at Work - some useful tools
A round-up of some of the wellbeing at work tips and resources available on our own website.
Health, Work and Wellbeing
A booklet from Acas which aims to help readers understand the interaction between health, wellbeing and work.
Healthy Workplaces : Improving Employee Mental and Physical Health and Wellbeing
A quality standard from NICE covering the health and wellbeing of all employees.
Working Well
A guide from IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) to promote health and wellbeing at work.
Workplace Wellbeing - our impact so far This article from the British Psychological Society lays out some of the details of their current policy work and the impact it has had.
Health, work and wellbeing – evidence and research
Evidence, research and policy papers related to the health, work and wellbeing initiative from the Department of Work and Pensions.
Workplace Health: Applying All Our Health
A resource on gov.uk which helps health professionals prevent ill health and promote health and wellbeing as part of their everyday practice.
Developing Managers for Engagement and Wellbeing
Practical resources from the CIPD on developing managers to support employee engagement, health and wellbeing.
The difference managers can make to workplace health
An article from the Institute for Employment Studies. It summarises the findings of the review and guidance, 'Workplace health: Management Practices' which was published by NICE in 2015.
The Power of Wellbeing: How investing in staff delivers dividends
Several key reasons which illustrate why investing in your staff is a ' no-brainer'.
Going Public: Iceland’s Journey to a Shorter Working Week
An analysis of the results of 2 large trials reducing the working week with no reduction in pay have been found to be an overwhelming success. The results found, “Worker wellbeing dramatically increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout, to health and work-life balance.”
How can job design improve worker well-being and workplace performance?
Slides from Professor Frank W. Bond of the Institute of Management Studies, Goldsmiths University of London.
The Timewise Flexible Jobs Index 2019
An annual index designed to give insight into the quality flexible jobs market, the research is carried out from over 6 million job adverts for positions paying more than £20,000FTE.
Change the way your staff travel to work
10 ideas and actions from Sustrans, some of which could be implemented immediately.
Walking support for businesses
Transport for Greater Manchester has prepared a Walking Workplaces Toolkit. It includes initiatives to encourage walking to work, ideas for incorporating walking into breaks and the working day, as well as signposting to further sources of information.
Ageing population
An Ageing Workforce - An estimated third of workers will be over 50 by 2020. A Post note report, from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, examines the main challenges to both participation and productivity of older people in the workforce.
Alcohol
Why you should promote alcohol awareness and how to create an alcohol policy Here you can find information on why you should promote alcohol awareness at work and how to create an alcohol policy.
Facts about the impact of alcohol consumption from the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing also includes a link to a PowerPoint presentation about alcohol-induced ill-health.
Drinkaware: How to cut down on alcohol. To cut down on alcohol successfully you need easy-to-adopt steps that can be put into practice no matter where you are. Drinkaware has collected them all together here in one place.
Alcohol Change UK Alcohol plays a role in many of our lives, so many of us don’t think about alcohol harm as a serious issue. In reality, alcohol can have a damaging effect on workplace productivity, safety, health and morale – but this is avoidable. Research shows that effective alcohol policies can reduce absenteeism, increase productivity and provide substantial returns on investment. The website includes lots of facts about alcohol and research links.
Thanks to 'Quitlit' authors, there are now many resources available on quitting alcohol completely, including:
The unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine Gray
Mummy was a secret drinker blog
Drugs
Drugs in the workplace what every manager should know From the Chartered Management Institute, highlights that employers should aim for a 3 pronged approach, have a policy, communicate the policy clearly, train H&S professionals and line managers to raise awareness.
Reasons for creating a drugs policy from healthy working lives How drugs can impact your workplace plus how to create a policy, and guidance on testing.
Information from TUC on drugs and alcohol policy This guidance is intended to assist workplace representatives in developing policies to deal with alcohol and drug problems in the workplace. The issue of drug testing is dealt with in separate TUC guidance.
Financial health
Financial wellbeing needs to become part of wellbeing at work strategy From the CIPD blog. Employee financial wellbeing. Reports and guides on the CIPD website which show how financial concerns can affect employee mental and physical health and the impact that this has on business performance. They also provide help for organisations wanting to improve their employees' financial well-being.
Healthy eating/obesity
Live Well pages from the NHS website Advice, tips and tools to help us make the best choices about our health and wellbeing.
Great variety of healthy eating recipes on the BBC good food website.
Similar guidelines from the British heart foundation
Tips for tackling obesity at work include encouraging employees to take their full lunch hour and go for a walk or participate in exercise sessions.
Loneliness
Loneliness is not just a personal issue - an article on our own website includes suggested actions for organisations to consider regarding loneliness in the workplace, together with a collection of external resource links for individuals and employers.
Menopause
Living well through your perimenopause and menopause
An informative booklet from the website of the menopause specialist, Dr Louise Newson.
Menopause and the workplace
A resource on the NHS Employers site with information on how menopause may affect people at work along with practical guidance on how employers can improve workplace environments.
Menopause in the workplace
A practical guide from Business in the Community for HR, Wellbeing and Occupational Health practitioners.
Smash the Stigma - menopause in the workplace
The GMB union have a toolkit on their website which includes factsheets and a model policy document with the aim of helping ensure a more progressive and inclusive approach to those who experience menopause.
The menopause at work
The CIPD’s knowledge hub has a Let’s Talk Menopause section which includes guidance for line managers, guidance for people professionals, a webinar looking at how we can best support colleagues managing menopausal symptoms, plus printable posters and leaflets.
The Menopause is a workplace issue: guidance and model policy
A comprehensive guide from the union Unison has been designed “so that you can dip in and dip out, focusing on the areas that are relevant to your employer.”
Mental health stigma
MIND - How to promote wellbeing and tackle the causes of work-related mental health problems
See Me Scotland - Mental Health in Work Find out more about creating a mentally healthy work environment.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal Disorders - a guidance page with links to further resources on the Health & Safety Executive's website.
Musculoskeletal Health Toolkit for Employers - from Business in the Community, in partnership with Public Health England, a toolkit to help employers support the mental and physical health and wellbeing of their employees.
100 Office Workouts - a collection of no-equipment easy-to-follow routines with illustrations. They are specifically designed for different workplace conditions e.g. stress reduction, upper body, lunch break workouts.
Physical activity
Physical activity: Ways to promote physical activity at work
NHS Scotland Evidence Briefing - Workplace interventions to promote physical activity
Harvard School of Public Health - Promoting Physical Activity at Work
Smoking
NICE Guidelines to encourage and support employees to stop smoking - This guideline covers how employers can encourage and support employees to stop smoking. It aims to reduce the number of people who smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke and the rate of diseases and conditions caused by smoking.
Smoking Cessation Programme This article discusses the rationale and benefits of implementing a smoking cessation programme, and draws upon a case study at pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which implemented a cessation programme pilot across Europe to share experience and offer recommendations for rolling out cessation support within the workplace.
Smoking Cessation in the Workplace: A Guide to Helping Your Employees Quit Smoking Produced by Health Canada, this guide is for employers and others who promote health in the workplace. It outlines the reasons why workplaces should get involved and support employees' efforts to cut down or quit smoking. It also provides practical, relevant material on smoking cessation that can be used either as part of a comprehensive wellness program or as an initiative on its own. The kinds of smoking cessation activities that can be offered are explained, the necessary steps are outlined, and handouts, tools and a list of further resources and references are also included.
Social support
How to strengthen your social support network from the American Psychological Association.
Benefits of social support from the Mayo Clinic
Some interesting articles about the impact of social support from personality research.org
Our own article on ways to build social support
Stress
Management Standards for work related stress - an explanation of the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE) Management Standards together with a link to a workbook providing tips, advice and guidance from people who have already gone through the implementation process.
Stress management resources - a link to our own resources page which provides links to useful stress management resource articles from around the internet.
Support groups for specific conditions
Healthtalk - Resources for Chronic Pain
British Heart Foundation - Heart Support Groups Open to anyone with any kind of heart condition as well as their partners and families.
Macmillan Cancer Support - Find out about support groups and where to get information
Find the answers to commonly asked questions about work and cancer. on the Macmillan Cancer Support website.
Supporting employees with cancer. From healthy working lives, information and guidance for employers on supporting employees who have cancer including legal obligations.
Toolkit to help employers deal with domestic abuse and stigma. Public Health England (PHE) and Business in the Community publish new toolkit to help employers support workers affected by domestic abuse.
Links between happiness and wellbeing
Positive psychology on happiness Nowadays, happiness as a concept seems to be readily embraced by the majority of people and appears to be more valued than the pursuit of money, moral goodness or going to heaven. Not surprisingly, during the past thirty years and especially since the creation of positive psychology, psychology too has turned its attention towards the study of happiness and well-being. This webpage looks from many angles at the relationship between happiness and wellbeing.
Centre for Economic Performance: Researchers at the CEP are currently working on estimating an integrated life-course model, in addition to carrying out extensive empirical work investigating different causes of happiness and how well-being affects important outcomes. This work informs their contribution to the cross-cutting strand of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
Improving mental wellbeing and resilience on the BBC website. Created for BBC staff, this is a useful article which outlines how relevant Mental health and wellbeing is for all of us, whether we have a mental health condition or not. Mental wellbeing is a continuum that we can move along depending on what is happening in our lives. Find guidance and tips here about how to maintain and improve your mental wellbeing and resilience at work.
Additional Resources Pages
Wellbeing at Work Training Courses
Many of our training courses relate to issues surrounding wellbeing at work
Please Note: The information on this website is for general guidance and is not legal advice. Please be aware that some of the articles mentioned on the resources pages originate from countries with different legal requirements from those in the UK.
Equilibrium Associates Limited (In Equilibrium) will not accept liability for any loss, damage or inconvenience arising as a consequence of any use of or the inability to use any information on this website. We are not responsible for claims brought by third parties arising from your use of in-equilibrium.co.uk
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