As adults in employment spend a large proportion of their time in work, our jobs and our workplaces can have a big impact on our health and wellbeing. There is clear evidence that good work improves health and wellbeing across people’s lives, not only in terms of economics but also in terms of quality of life. ‘Good work’ means having not only a work environment that is safe, but also having a sense of security, autonomy, good line management and communication within an organisation.
There is also evidence that shows that good quality work protects against social exclusion through the provision of:
- income
- social interaction
- a core role
- identity and purpose
Conversely, there is also clear evidence that unemployment is bad for your health as it is associated with an increased risk of mortality and morbidity, including:
- limiting long-term illness
- cardiovascular disease
- poor mental health
- suicide
- health-harming behaviours
Just as unemployment can be a risk factor for various health conditions, long-term health conditions including MSK conditions such as back pain can also be the cause of unemployment. This is known as ‘health-related worklessness’.
It is important that people are supported to gain employment and maintain economic independence for themselves and their families, especially as they age. This is of particular importance for individuals with long-term conditions and disabilities, due to the barriers they face in gaining employment and retaining a job.
Healthy Working Lives is part of Public Health Scotland and provides guidance, tools and training to support understanding of health risks, mental health, manage staff attendance and promote health and wellbeing, as well as how to access support services for employers and employees.
Originally Health Working Lives operated an award programme for employers, but this was paused in 2020 due to COVID-19. Since then they have been reshaping how they support employers and employees from recruitment to retirement. There has been an emphasis on fair and good working practices and providing resources to improve workplace productivity and employee health and wellbeing.
This review includes a comprehensive update of the Healthy Working Lives website, and the development of the Mentally Flourishing Workplaces Framework. In addition, a variety of free online training courses for employers are available via the website. Managers can also access Mentally Healthy Workplace Training, which is delivered locally through Healthy Shetland.
If you are a local workplace and would like to speak to someone about what support is available locally please contact info@healthyshetland.com