Guernsey’s Committee for Employment & Social Security has published its Work & Wellbeing Strategy.
The strategy sets out a five-year plan on how local government and the community can work in partnership to improve the health and wellbeing of Guernsey and Alderney’s workforce.
The Work & Wellbeing Strategy aims to promote and maintain a culture of good health and wellbeing in the workplace and maximise work opportunities for everyone. It recognises that for most people, work is good for their physical and mental health. Many islanders with a health condition or disability want to be in work, and – with the right support – they can. This incorporates the pre-existing Supporting Occupational Health & Wellbeing (SOHWELL) Programme, which was established by the Committee on the principle that, in many cases, it is better for a person’s long-term health and wellbeing to be in work. Extended absence from work decreases the likelihood of returning and often leads to complex barriers which become harder and more costly to address over time.
The Strategy has an emphasis on prevention and early intervention initiatives to enable islanders to stay in work or return to work, where possible. By building partnerships between Social Security, primary care doctors, Public Health, Occupational Health, and the third sector, joint approaches can be developed to incentivise and enable workforce participation.
The Work & Wellbeing Strategy ties in with the States of Guernsey’s wider objective to grow the Bailiwick’s economic competitiveness by increasing workforce participation and planning for sustainable health and care services by improving health outcomes.
Its key objectives are:
- To enhance preventative and proactive support for people in work to reduce sickness absence.
- To support people who have lost employment due to a health condition to become work-ready at the appropriate stage in their recovery.
- To improve return to work support through Social Security, enabling people to return to work and reducing the duration and number of sickness benefit claims becoming long-term.
The main pillars in which to achieve these objectives are:
- Community awareness – focusing on engagement with medical professionals, employers, employees, third-sector organisations, and the wider community to build awareness around the connection between health and work, and their respective roles in contributing to the success of the Strategy. This pillar also looks to provide practical and easily accessible resources to help support health and wellbeing in the workplace.
- Prevention and early intervention – recognising that prevention and early intervention initiatives – which identify issues and provide support at an early stage – are much more effective at improving individual outcomes and increasing workforce participation than following a treatment-based model. Pillar two therefore focuses on investigating a range of primary preventative programmes and early pilots which support health and wellbeing.
- Effective services – focusing on enhancing occupational health and wellbeing services to meet future needs. The Strategy will be the vehicle for developing and maximising the effectiveness of services to support workforce participation and help islanders lead healthier and more sustainable working lives.
Deputy Peter Roffey, President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, said: “Our workplaces play a pivotal role in shaping not just the economic success of our islands, but also our collective health and wellbeing. And in turn, our health and wellbeing have a significant impact on our work and productivity. A healthy workforce is the foundation of a thriving economy and must be seen as a long-term investment in our future.
“Through this Strategy, we are transforming the way we approach work rehabilitation for people who have a health condition – by shifting the narrative to focus on what people can do rather than what they can’t.”
Mark Gannon, Service Lead – Benefits & Work Support for Social Security, said: “This Strategy recognises the value of our workforce. We know there are lots of good practice and initiatives happening in our workplaces, but some employers may not have the support they need. This is an exciting opportunity to work across government, employers, and the community to help create a diverse, inclusive, and healthier workforce.”
Dr Bob Gallagher, Medical Adviser to the Committee for Employment & Social Security, said: “Not being in work can have a negative effect on our health so, in most cases, it’s important that patients see a return to work as part of their recovery. Within primary care I’m hearing positive stories about how the SOHWELL Programme is supporting recovery by facilitating a return to work. This Strategy is an extension to that.”
