300,000 People Left The Workforce Last Year. Can Employers Bring Them Back?

A new report by the Health Foundation has found that worsening public health over the last decade has considerably impacted the labour market. One in five people aged 16 to 64 has a health condition that limits their work, and 300,000 people stopped working altogether because of a health condition.

This report will no doubt make for concerning reading for many companies and will also beg the question: What can businesses, as well as society as a whole, do to prevent poor health from keeping people out of work?

What is causing poor health across the workforce?

Physical health issues can severely limit the kinds of work a person can do, as well as how long they can do it for. The main physical condition keeping people out of work is obesity, which affects just over a quarter of all adults in the UK. Chronic illnesses and injuries, which can develop as a direct result of working, also regularly force people out of work. It is also important to consider the impact a physical health condition can have on a person’s mental health, further limiting their ability to work.

Mental health is also a key factor contributing to people leaving the workplace, with 5% of people polled by the Health Foundation reporting having a work-limiting mental health condition. Poor mental health can also lead to a deterioration in physical health, which, again, increases the likelihood an affected person will have to stop working.

What can companies do to prevent employees leaving the workforce?

In order to increase the overall labour pool and ensure that the number of people in the workforce remains stable, companies need to focus on two things. The first is looking after their own employees’ health, to prevent physical or mental health conditions from forcing them out of work. The second is to ensure that people who have been out of work for some time due to a health condition are able to return to employment.

Promoting good health amongst employees can be challenging for SMEs, who cannot afford large, in-house services like employee-only gyms and occupational health providers the way large corporations often can. However, businesses of all sizes can seek to engage management personnel in ensuring the wellbeing of employees, which comes with the added benefit of creating a healthier, less adversarial relationship between employees and managers.

Businesses can also make changes to how they operate to support people attempting to return to the workplace after a period of ill health. In some cases, companies are legally required to do so by the Equality Act 2010, which sets out a number of ‘reasonable adjustments’ that should be made to support employees with disabilities. Businesses should not view these accommodations as a burden, but rather as a necessary investment in their employees, allowing them to reach their full potential and ultimately benefit both parties involved.

In conclusion

The impact that poor public health is having on the workplace is certainly concerning, but it is not an unsolvable problem. Individual companies can take actions to ensure the wellbeing of their current employees, ensuring that poor health does not force them to stop working, as well as make reasonable adjustments to support returning employees whose health conditions still affect them.

Looking after your employees is one of the most important tasks in HR, and for an SME, it can be a tough challenge. That’s why Clover HR specialises in supporting SMEs with tailor-made solutions that solve problems and keep businesses running smoothly, so that you can keep your focus on doing what you do best.

For more information please visit our website: cloverhr.co.uk