Gaining buy-in from the C-suite requires that Health & Wellbeing professionals are structured, evidence based and strategic in their thinking, as discussed in this feature on professionalising the discipline.
Take a quick glance at the agenda for our MAD World Leaders’ Summit on October 9th and it’s instantly apparent that Health & Wellbeing has come along way since its embryonic years. Now, it is squarely focused on embedding data-led strategies into the fabric of organisational culture; the title of the first keynote panel reflects this – ‘From silo to strategy: embedding workplace culture, employee Health and Wellbeing into the fabric of business strategy to deliver real results’. The panel features respected high profile Leaders such as Dame Carol Black, Royal Mail’s Chief People Officer Paula Stannett and NHS England’s Digital Health Innovation Strategist Dr Lia Ali – to see the full agenda and register, see here).
But there is growing recognition of the need to professionalise the industry at this stage in its evolution, with many agreeing that a clear career pathway would help enormously in terms of credibility, consistency, knowledge acquisition and perception in the eyes of other disciplines, especially senior management.
Clarifying pathways and skills needed
Three providers are currently working on, or have created, a Professional Framework to clarify the career pathway and skills required at each level for Leaders working in the Health and Wellbeing discipline.
These are:
⚙️ Affinity Health at Work
⚙️ SuperWellness
⚙️ The Wellbeing Lead Academy
We contacted them each to find out more about what they’re doing and why, and their vision for the future.
As discussed in this feature, a Professional Framework if implemented effectively and consistently industry-wide, could be a massive step in the right direction for the role’s credibility and in securing budget from the C-suite going forward.
Affinity Health at Work
Affinity Health at Work is conducting a research project which aims to clarify the requirements of Health and Wellbeing professionals at each level of their career, so these can be mapped across disciplines and across the entire industry. This is to improve clarity for all stakeholders, employers and individuals alike.
“This work will also support institutions like the CIPD, HSE, IOSH and SOM, who develop frameworks and training for wellbeing professionals, to identify the strengths and gaps in their offerings; and to better understand the breadth of the Wellbeing Professional’s skills, knowledge and abilities” says Claire Agate, Senior Consultant, Affinity Health at Work.
One of the first steps was to set up a multidisciplinary Steering Group, bringing together the different professions, institutions and perspectives.
The Steering Group members:
Becky Thoseby, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Ministry of Justice UK
Duncan Spencer, Head of Advice and Practice at IOSH
Hannah Pearsall, Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at Hays
Heather Beach of Healthy Work Company
Jonathan Gawthrop, Executive Director of Quality, Safety and Risk at EMCOR UK
Jonathan Houdmont, Programme Director, Workplace Health and Wellbeing (MSc, PG Dip) at University of Nottingham
Kris Ambler, Workforce Lead, Policy and Public Affairs at BACP
Matt Smeed, Business Psychologist and Co-founder of the Working Well Community
Neil Greenberg, Professor of Defence Mental Health at Society of Occupational Medicine
Nikki Kirbell, Global Head of Wellbeing at Rolls-Royce
Dr Nupur Yogarajah, GP, Behavioural Scientist, NHS Clinical Leader & Founder Dr NY
Phoebe Smith, Human Factors Technical Team Lead at the Health and Safety Executive
Rachel Lewis, Managing Partner, at Affinity Health at Work
Rachel Suff, Senior Policy and HR Practice Advisor at CIPD
Ryan Hopkins, Chief Impact Officer at JAAQ
Stuart Mace, Independent Occupational Health and Wellbeing Lead
Feedback from this Group
Agate and her team have interviewed all committee members, as well as some of their colleagues, for their insight and are, across the project, using the steering group to guide the design of the training and the development of the framework and its outputs.
Additionally, the team has also carried out focus groups with nine participating organisations and conducted a literature review looking at all the academic, as well as practitioner articles and frameworks, on the topic. Practitioner evidence included extensive job adverts and job descriptions.
The team at Affinity have also reached out to others creating frameworks, such as SuperWellness and The Wellbeing Lead Academy, for their insight too. The current phase of the research is undertaking a large scale survey open to all those responsible for Health and Wellbeing (you can access it here – it’s going to be live until 31st August).
Approval from industry bodies
Agate says:
“The review is multidisciplinary and being conducted on a large scale. We feel that the only way this framework will be used is if it is accepted and approved by all the major players and institutions such as HSE, SOM, CIPD and IOSH, which is why they are a key part of our research.”
Affinity Health at Work has used an evidence based practice model to get the best available data from as many sources as possible – from counsellors to independent wellbeing advisors to Health and Safety specialists to OH practitioners.
Identifying strengths
Its framework sets out to identify the skills, knowledge and abilities that are strengths in professionals from particular backgrounds, as well as the gaps. It also aims to show how skills, knowledge and activities in wellbeing professionals evolve over time.
One of the final tasks needed to be carried out is a review panel which will be based on all the survey data gathered together with organisational data, focus group interviews, wellbeing professional interviews and literature review. After this, a first draft framework will be created for the Steering Group.
“By December we will have a working framework that has been signed off by our expert reviewers and Steering Committee, with publication at the end of the year,” says Agate.
SuperWellness
First off, SuperWellness created a ‘Profession Map’ which it launched in November. This comprises 3 sections each containing 4 topics.
The Profession Map:
Core: Communication, Stakeholder Engagement, Project Management, Budget Management
Technical: Legislation, Audit, Strategy, Culture
Behavioural: Problem Solving, Compassionate Leadership, Proactive Nature, Passion for Learning
Initially, to plug the gap in training it had identified from researching the professional framework, SuperWellness created a one-day course, which has been running since June 2024. This focuses on the fundamentals, like defining the role and function.
“There’s a massive confusion across the industry on what workplace well-being is and isn’t currently,” says Elliot Foster, Head of Wellbeing Strategy, SuperWellness. “People have been confusing Workplace Wellbeing with ‘Wellness’, which can lead into the tickbox approaches rather than focusing on root causes.”
The idea behind creating this training was the desire to bring consistency to the role, regardless of the background learners come to it from, from admin assistants to senior business leaders.
Not about tick boxes
“But it’s not about tick box-y Workplace Wellbeing,” says Foster. “People come thinking they are going to learn about how to get more engagement on awareness days but it’s absolutely not about that at all. It’s about ‘How do you write a strategy?’ and ‘What data do you use?’ and ‘How do you collect that data?’”
SuperWellness soon realised a day wasn’t nearly enough, which is why it created a Level 5 Diploma in Leading Strategic Workplace Wellbeing. The first cohort is due to start in September.
“I’m an Organisational Psychologist by background and have previously worked in public health, both of which are very data-led. That’s what we are bringing with the course, it is very much evidence based but also gives people practical work that they can apply straight away into their work,” he says.
The course is accredited by NCFE.
It comprises 6 units:
The Workplace Wellbeing profession
The fundamentals of Workplace Wellbeing
Unlocking impact through evidence and data
What ACTUALLY works in Workplace Wellbeing
The importance of measurement, key stakeholders and communication
Setting yourself up for success
These six units are taught across six days, the first is face to face, the rest is done via Microsoft Teams. Learners have a year to complete assignments and cost is £3650 +VAT. However, construction organisations that pay into the CITB levy can get 70% fully funded.
The Wellbeing Lead Academy
The Academy created its own Professional Framework called ‘The Certified Wellbeing Leader Career Progression Pathway’.
On the back of this, it currently has two qualifications available; level 3 (roughly GCSE level, entry level, open to all) and level 5 (equivalent to a foundation degree).
The Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Workplace Health and Wellbeing comprises 160 guided learning hours and 16 learning credits.
According to Emily Pearson, Founder of The Wellbeing Lead Academy, level 3 is aimed at those starting out in Health and Wellbeing roles, or adding wellbeing to existing HR, H&S, or OH responsibilities. No formal qualifications are required, so could appeal to a wide range of backgrounds, from consultants to someone looking to switch into the career path.
Learners complete modules like:
How to apply the HSE stress risk assessment
How to build campaigns using behaviour change models
How to use workplace data to shape your campaigns
How to tackle real issues like menopause, stress, and neurodiversity
Level 4, Certificate in Applied Workplace Wellbeing Practice, is in development and due to go live next year.
Level 5 is is a nationally accredited Level 5 qualification in the UK specifically designed for those leading mental health and wellbeing strategy at work at foundation-degree level.
The qualification is accredited by the Open College Network Credit4Learning and recognised by the Association of Occupational Health Professionals (IOH) — with all students receiving free IOH membership while studying.
Target learners
Designed for those with existing responsibility for wellbeing strategy (or those about to take it on), the diploma supports learners to move from ad-hoc or operational approaches to strategic planning, delivery, and evaluation. It was created in recognition of the gap in formal qualifications available to experienced professionals, particularly for those without access to traditional academic routes, like the Masters.
Research by the Academy found that only 16% of UK Health and Wellbeing leads hold any formal qualification in Workplace Wellbeing with half of these having studied at Master’s level. The Level 5 provides a practical, accessible alternative.
On level 5, Advanced Certificate in Strategic Workplace Wellbeing, Pearson says: “Many of our learners have been handed the responsibility for wellbeing strategy without the knowledge, skills, qualifications, or support to lead it well, this qualification changes that — it’s career-defining.”
Elevating the role
Pearson’s vision, through this qualification, is to elevate the role of the Wellbeing lead and take it from ad-hoc support to strategic powerhouse: from being siloed in HR, to taking a seat at the boardroom table; from Wellbeing being seen as a nice to have, to wellbeing as a driver of business performance.
One of the reasons the Academy developed its Level 5 qualifications was in recognition of the many professionals who, despite their seniority, have received no formal development in strategic workplace wellbeing; they don’t have academic qualifications so haven’t had access to the existing, respected qualifications like those at Masters level.
“Many of our level 5 learners have been given the responsibility of developing and delivering a wellbeing strategy, but are unable to get on to the Masters,” says Pearson. “Our Level 5 is very different to the Masters as it has been developed like an apprenticeship making it just as practical as it is theory based.”
The qualification is delivered via a mix of 5 live masterclasses online and a Learning Management System in which learners complete assignments and submit evidence for their portfolios. Learners receive one-to-one mentoring every month and regular engage in the peer community.
Topics include:
Safeguarding
Men’s Health
Menopause
Addiction and Recovery
Financial Wellbeing
Employee Benefits
Organisational Health & Psychological Risk
AI for Employee Health and Wellbeing
The assignments, Wellbeing strategy and action plan are assessed by a qualified assessor as the course progresses, with a final assessment compromising a 10 minute presentation of one problem the learner has solved over the 12 months of implementing their strategy. Delivered like an apprenticeship, it blends theory and practice helping learners embed strategy in real time while they study.
Only two cohorts run each year, in April and September, with a maximum of 20 places per intake. Learners also receive one year of free IOH membership upon enrolment expanding their professional credibility and networks.
Key Information
- Duration: 12 months
- Cost: £3,500 + VAT
- Next intake: September 2025
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