This article has been provided by Longitude6 and looks at how you can help manage the health risks of employees in the workplace.
Knowledge and intervention for worker health has long been the poor relative in comparison to worker safety. Over the last decade, the UK has begun to gain momentum in addressing health-related illness in the working population. Despite this focus, trends for some of the most debilitating health conditions (musculoskeletal and mental health) remain stagnant. Why is this still the case when knowledge, resource and motivation for change has never been more acute?
Siloed health provisions can lead to poor health risk management
Historically, health provision has operated in a very siloed fashion. Many businesses will rely on external providers for physiotherapy and occupational health, whilst HR or operations will be responsible for sickness absence and return-to work. The result for the employee and the business can often be a very disjointed approach to care, and ultimately a poor experience for the employee and business bottom line.
Now with the impact of COVID- 19, it raises the question, what can businesses do to manage people risk and worker health post 2020?
- Organisations will have people working longer than in previous years as the financial impacts on people’s retirement plans take effect.
- People suffering with existing conditions have had decreased access to health provision which can mean a deterioration in physical and mental wellbeing.
- Reduced time with loved ones and social isolation is known to effect emotional and mental wellbeing.
- Returning to work following a period of unemployment or furlough can be very challenging.
This is not an exhaustive list, but when returning or maintaining a working life is so uncertain, how do we move the needle on these chronic conditions and embrace change for the future?
The age of technology has transformed the sporting and consumer world. Teams now make business and tactical decisions on player position, health and ability based on data, rather than subjective opinion. That change is here to stay. Industry is now picking up the mantle in this space and beginning to embrace the need for objective measurement across many aspects of worker health, safety, and wellbeing. It is important now that we measure this, not just in the doctor’s office, but on the factory floor, where stress and injury often occur.
Having data to measure what has happened in the past is not good enough anymore, we need to develop insights and knowledge to create future outcomes
The team at Longitude6 have a shared passion to create something special. To ensure an employee’s health journey is better understood and supported for the future. After all, were all employed at some stage in our career. Or care about someone who is.
How do we achieve this ambition- by aligning physical capability of a person, job demands, environment, process, psychosocial factors, and peoples general state of mind day to day. The reality is that all these factors impact on each other, “cause and effect”. The ecosystem of an environment will determine its health and ability to sustain and prosper.
By creating an information system of ‘real world’ data and aligning that to the people and their place in the business, effective decisions and supports can be created for the future of any organisation.
All of this is complex, but not complicated.
Longitude6 love the challenge of the complexity and believe it can be achieved without extraordinary investment, in fact it could easily be more commercially appealing to introduce this approach than many companies experience now.
Exploration and consideration are free, connect to discuss these concepts.
