Proactive Health Policy HEALTH POLICIES

Transcription

1 1 Proactive Health Policy HEALTH POLICIES 01. Proactive Health Policy 02. Internal Health Relationships 03. Health Surveillance and Screening 04. Mental Health and Stress 05. Getting People Back to Productive Work 06. Employee Wellness and Engagement

2 1 Proactive Health Policy Contents Proactive health management can bring savings to your organisation Proactive health and wellbeing management can increase productivity....5 A good leadership structure is needed for proactive health management To create change, create a clear purpose for the proactive policy Document the proactive policy so that it can be communicated to the organisation.. 11 Notes

3 2 About the Proactive Health Policies booklet series Management of employee health and wellbeing is an important challenge for all organisations. Becoming proactive in health management can assist corporate responsibility, reduce company costs, increase productivity and, most importantly, improve people s lives. This nest of six health policy booklets is designed to support organisations in becoming proactive in health management. They are a starting point to help the different disciplines involved engage with a similar set of ideas. These ideas will enable a flow of information and understanding that can push the health agenda forward. They highlight: Key focus areas Important concepts Good practice Useful tools and links Booklet 1 - Proactive Health Policy This booklet identifies some of the high level arguments and arrangements for creating a proactive health policy. It sets out: The financial issues Productivity issues How to enable leadership A considered purpose for achievement Documenting the policy Booklet 2 will set out some important managerial considerations. Booklets 3 to 6 then draws the reader to a range of practical ideas and tools that are readily available for discussion and use.

4 3 Proactive Health Policy Proactive health management can bring savings to your organisation A number of sources of research identify the savings to be gained through an organisation s health management activity. The CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey estimated that employee absence cost the UK economy 16.8 billion in 2009, with long-term sickness absence accounting for 22% of all working time lost, at a cost of 3.7 billion. In 2006, RSSB research estimated the direct payroll costs of ill health to be about 100m per year. This figure was thought to be around ten times that of the total expenditure on occupational health provision at that time. Health and wellbeing costs are even higher when absence losses are looked at in a wider context. For mental health alone, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) estimated the annual cost in the UK to be 25.9 billion in 2006 ( 23.8 billion in 2009 pay levels) 2. This cost was broken down into: 8.4 billion a year for sickness 15.1 billion a year in reduced productivity at work 2.4 billion a year in replacing staff who have left due to mental health problems Indeed, when the total costs of ill health to the rail sector were considered by RSSB research, it was estimated to be up to 327m per year. The monetary and reputational benefit to the employer from a more co-ordinated and consistent approach to health and wellbeing can be brought about by reducing the harmful effects of: Absenteeism Presenteeism Loosing valued staff Unnecessary recruitment and training costs Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and overall sickness absence costs High compensation liabilities Equality discrimination against employees

5 4 It has been noted that the cost to prevent these losses is likely to be many times less than the cost of failure. Therefore a case can be made to invest more. However, as well as preventing losses to the organisation, proactive health management can also create significant gains in productivity through enhancing the benefits of: Safeguards to the livelihood of employees Improved workplace relations Increased organisational engagement /efficiency/productivity Raising the organisation s reputation Absenteeism Presenteeism Turnover Source: The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (2007) Figure 1: Estimated costs of mental ill health to UK employers

6 5 Proactive Health Policy Proactive health and wellbeing management can increase productivity Leading organisations are now using proactive health and wellbeing policies to help their organisation deliver demanding business strategies at the same time as creating cost savings. Mowbray in The Wellbeing and Performance Agenda ( ) suggests that, the costs associated with lack of wellbeing are high. The national headline costs are so high they fail to make an impression on individual organisations that would be expected, as the figures seem unreal. He goes on to note that the costs associated with health and wellbeing are often attributed to absent staff but that 58% of the costs are actually found within presenteeism. The term presenteeism is often interpreted in different ways. Robertson and Cooper (2011) suggest three attributes to the term: 1. Attending work when unwell 2. Putting in long hours but not working all of the time (often known as face time ) 3. Working at a reduced level because of distractions (for example, going online) Some health professionals find the term presenteeism unhelpful, especially if applied to people attending work when ill. Booklet five in this series: Getting people back to productive work recognises that rehabilitation and work can be good for you rather than have a negative effect. However, there may be good use of the term when referring to employee engagement (as in points 2 and 3 in the list above) if used to help unlock potential in this area. In their report Engaging for Success Macleod and Clarke cite evidence to support the need for stronger employee engagement within UK organisations. The evidence includes: Gallup found that engagement levels can be predictors of sickness absence, with more-highly-engaged 4 employees taking an average of 2.7 days per year, compared with disengaged employees taking an average of 6.2 days per year 5.

7 6 The Corporate Leadership Council reported that engaged organisations grew profits as much as three times faster than their competitors. The IES/Work Foundation report, People and the Bottom Line found that if organisations increased investment in a range of good workplace practices which relate to engagement by just 10 per cent, they would increase profits by 1,500 per employee per year. 6 The benefits of increased employee engagement have not been lost within the top UK companies, as in its report on Building the Case for Wellness, PwC notes that success and company excellence are not just being measured in financial terms but also business performance. And wellness is being seen as part of an organisation s Corporate Social Responsibility and is publicly reported 7.

8 7 Proactive Health Policy A good leadership structure is needed for proactive health management For organisations that want to enhance their health and wellbeing capabilities it is important to create the conditions for leadership in this area. A conscious decision needs to be taken by the company board to become proactive in health leadership. This should include input into the development of a proactive health policy and related plans. It is important that the people at company board level understand the actions that will be taken to develop the proactive health policy and how it assists the organisation. There should be clear accountabilities for the proactive health policy at board level and all senior managers should be aware of the basic health and wellbeing arguments. However, one individual could have specific accountability for health and wellbeing in the business, and have a higher level of knowledge and competence. Informed and experienced health advice should be arranged to report into the company s board. This may be achieved through renegotiated contracts with occupational health providers to include strategic health input. It may also be achieved through the development of internal health knowledge, for example, through a chief medical officer or the managerial advancement of health specialists. The company board should not be above reviews on their own ability to perform in relation to the health and wellbeing policy. For example, it is good practice to employ one or more non-executive directors with appropriate knowledge and experience to challenge a board s thinking and engagement on health and wellbeing. Following commitment from the board, the proactive health policy will need further leadership to help integrate plans into organisational activity. Organisations should have a clear understanding of what effective health and wellbeing leadership looks like for them. Within the workplace a supportive environment for leadership should be provided, so that leadership behaviours have a chance to be embedded and

9 8 adopted by other employees that may become leaders one day. A supportive environment includes: Long-term commitment Mentoring Appropriate competencies Provision of responsibility alongside authority and resources Leadership is not the same as management. It should not be assumed that managers are automatically leaders just because they have experience of a role or have been on a training course. Take the time to choose a network of leaders that are committed and share the vision of change. Leaders consider the initiation of the change, and highlight the more strategic aspects to the employees around them. They: Establish starting points for change Design and manage the journey Communicate any guiding principles within the organisation Create individual, team, and organisational capacities for change Communicate and make informal connections (how is it going to work for us?) to create a path for change A network of health and wellbeing champions should be considered to assist change within the organisation. Check out the Royal Society for Public Health Level 2 Award Understanding Health Improvement and consider using this low cost course to train your champions. Find out more at: qualifications.cfm/level-2-award-in-understanding-health- Improvement

10 9 Proactive Health Policy To create change, create a clear purpose for the proactive policy If a health and wellbeing initiative is ever to be fit-for-purpose, to deliver change, and create savings, it needs a clear purpose to begin with. An organisation needs to put concerted effort into stating a clear purpose for a proactive health policy to determine how it needs to be built and share understanding as to how it should be shaped. The purpose sets out what managers and employees aim towards, it allows them to understand what they are contributing to and clearly asks them to invest in the idea. It allows management to show leadership and direction, and should generate co-operation between functional interfaces to meet the overall purpose. To work out a purpose, all relevant roles should participate in a workshop. Relevant roles include: Senior management representative HR managers Health and safety managers Occupational Health specialists Line managers H&S representatives Each attendee should read the six Proactive Health Policy booklets and develop opinions on what may or may not work. The booklets should be a starting point for content, and to guide how ideas may be carried out. While developing a purpose, the organisation should make a conscious effort to understand: Why a proactive policy is needed within the organisation What the policy is about What content is delivered What the principles are for achievement What achievement looks like How the policy is delivered A time limit to act out the proactive policy will provide more focus and urgency in what is being achieved. Try directing your purpose towards a time limit that your organisation can achieve is it two years,

11 10 five years or longer? After the time limit has expired the organisation may find a new, and by this time more relevant, purpose to follow, based upon previous achievements. When delivering change, good principles should govern process. When the process does not work for an element of the organisation good principles should help the team to understand the changes needed to embed the work. Good principles may include: Understand the basics of the Equality Act Talk to employees rather than hide things away Know the specialists that can help and make use of them Work in teams rather than as individuals Be aware of the contents of the policy booklets Credit to Simon Vine Photography

12 11 Proactive Health Policy Document the proactive policy so that it can be communicated to the organisation Look to communicate widely within the organisation in order to develop the policy and make it happen. As already identified, while planning and developing the policy you need to get support from employees, your senior managers, health and safety managers, occupational and human resource professionals, line managers, trade union and other employee representatives. Build the plan with them and look to integrate their ideas. It is also important that the overall approach is fair, consistent, and disability-aware. Enough information surrounding the purpose of the policy needs to be gathered to make the company position clear. It may be that the policy is an A4 sheet with additional supporting information behind it. Write the policy using simple words and concepts. Speak directly to the people who will be reading, enforcing, and living by the policy. After each paragraph, ask yourself what if questions, to make certain the policy is covering the basics and the normal exceptions and questions. Develop the policy by: 1. Establishing a team of professionals who are coming from the same place: Use the booklets to create a common language (this does not mean that all have to agree exactly with each other or with the guides provided in the booklets) 2. Gaining a mandate from the board: Use this booklet to help with the financial case 3. Gathering organisational information on what is happening now: This could include what works, any gaps, and what could be improved 4. Develop and write the policy with the assistance provided in booklets: Booklet 2: Health Relationships Booklet 3: Health Surveillance and Screening

13 12 Booklet 4: Mental Health and Stress Booklet 5: Getting People Back to Productive Work Booklet 6: Employee Wellness and Engagement Do not try to take on too much. Start small and build upon successes. Aim for targeted work with clear goals and outcomes. 5. Test the policy with a pilot group. 6. Review the policy with: The board Trade unions Consideration of the legal team 7. Implement the policy: With consideration of Booklet 2: Health Relationships

14 13 Proactive Health Policy Notes 1 The CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey Promoting wellbeing at work Business Case Implementing NICE guidance, NICE, 2009 (using information from Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health 2007) 3 Mowbray, D The Wellbeing and Performance Agenda available at: 4 Engaging for success: Enhancing performance through employee engagement, A report for Government by David Macleod and Nita Clarke, Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., Kilham, E.A.,Asplund, J.W. (2006) Q12 Meta-Analysis,The Gallup Organisation 6 People and the bottom line, Penny Tamkin, Marc Cowling, Will Hunt, Report 448, Building the case for wellness, PWC, 2008

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