Mixed reactions and criticisms are inevitable when a government commissions a report and the findings are made public – as was the case with Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review, unveiled on 5th November.
Some commentators say the review is “light on detail”, others worry about the costs to employers, others wish there were more immediate financial incentives, and yet more say there isn’t enough focus on real, physical hazards in the workplace.
These are all valid concerns and Stuart Mace, Workplace Health and Wellbeing Consultant at Construction Health and Wellbeing, is quite right that “it is only a review and recommendations”. Many share his view, too, that “unless government makes organisations change via legislation or demonstrates an overwhelming quick financial gain, I don’t see organisations really changing in the way they need to change”.
Cautious optimism
However, Matt Wilson, UK Wellbeing Lead, at Computacenter, captured the most common reaction to the report, which he welcomes with “cautious optimism and realism”. Like many industry professionals, he’s particularly pleased to “finally” see workplace health being recognised as a “national priority” and a focus on “prevention, early intervention and meaningful incentives”.
Similarly, CCLA’s Director of Stewardship Amy Browne says she “could not agree more with the sentiment set out in the report” that employers are “uniquely placed” to make a huge, positive impact on employee health, working culture and the NHS. And, by doing this, the nation’s productivity and profitability.
Wilson adds that “it’s refreshing to see the cultural issues called out so openly”, such as Mayfield’s identification of a “culture of fear” being one of the main obstacles to progress currently.
While Mayfield doesn’t actually use the phrase “psychological safety”, he talks about how pervasive fear “creates distance between people and discourages safe and early disclosure, constructive conversations and support just when they are needed most”.
“This [report] is our chance to go deeper, to see wellbeing not just as a set of standards, but as a set of conversations,” says Davina Jenkins, Wellbeing Programme Lead, Superwellness.
Data gap is being addressed
Also game-changing potentially, is the recognition that one of the reasons that some (especially C-suite) have remained sceptical of the discipline is due to the lack of robust data about what actually works. Mayfield’s plan also aims to address this through its proposed Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU), as well as certified standards via its Better Workplace Health Provision (WHP).
As Rebecca Eaton, Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing at Cadent Gas, who also welcomes the report agreeing with “most” of it, says:
“Putting some standardisation into what is expected and effective in providing good work and a supportive and inclusive workplace is likely to benefit all, particularly SMEs”.
From Lydia Rimmer-Hamilton, Public Affairs and Policy at Simply Health’s perspective, these proposals are “on the right track”:
“It’s a clear, bold roadmap. The ambition to define best practice, identify effective interventions and aggregate insights is hugely positive; turning fragmented efforts into a system that learns and improves, offering ROI measures back to business.”
Ambitious but realistic
Lauren Lunniss, Health and Wellbeing manager at BNP Paribas, too, says the report “nails the main problems – skills gaps, low productivity and regional inequality”. She believes it proposes an “ambitious but realistic roadmap, even though some of the ideas haven’t been fully rolled out yet”.
She, like us here at Make A Different Media & Events, is “more optimistic than pessimistic” but is right that the “proof is in the pudding as to whether implementation can be successful”.
Despite Mayfield’s urgent language throughout the report (he talks of a “quiet but urgent crisis”), widespread impactful change isn’t predicted for at least three to seven years. That’s because the immediate focus will be on working with the 60 vanguards, who will pilot the recommendations and feedback their learnings over the next three years.
Industry must keep momentum
It’s essential that, in this time, the industry maintains momentum and focus and leverages this review as an opportunity as much as possible. As Hamilton-Rimmer says, the proposals are “energising” and “empowering” and it’s up to the industry now to step up and make sure – as Browne hopes – the review becomes a tool that “will turbocharge momentum”.
It’s easy to be negative and trot off well-worn phrases like ‘we’ve had government reports before, and nothing really changed’. But it’s much more powerful to be positive (cheesy but true!) and believe things can change. Then work towards that change.
We at MAD Media plan to be a key conduit for the inspiration and information needed to do this, so the discipline can take its rightful place: at the centre of business strategy.
If you’re a vanguard, please get in touch as we are keen to amplify success stories and strategies to ensure our wider network of employers can learn from these pilot experiences
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