Employers are being invited to complete a survey to inform potential policy developments aimed at providing greater support to people in work, to those returning to work, and improving access to occupational health services.
The Supporting Occupational Health and Wellbeing (SOHWELL) programme is a Government Workplan initiative that offers early intervention and support, where appropriate, to people who have an illness, injury or disability to help them stay in work or get back to work more quickly which also helps to maximise the islands workforce.
It is a well-established principle that, in many cases, it is better for a person’s long-term health to be in work. Active and preventative occupational health measures are often an important tool in preventing common health issues from becoming long-term. Therefore, supporting employees in managing health conditions within the workplace, and supporting employers with return-to-work plans and reasonable adjustments is an important activity.
In addition to the SOHWELL programme, when people submit a medical certificate to social security, case managers are now offering support to individuals and employers to help people stay in work or return to work more quickly.
Ed Ashton, Director of Operations, said: “We know that there is a positive correlation between health and wellbeing in work and employers will be aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy and sustainable workforce.
In order to develop effective policies through the SOHWELL programme, I strongly encourage all employers to complete the survey”.
The survey is available online here and will be open for 6 weeks, closing on 15th January.
