This January saw us starting off by talking to lots of employers who are currently navigating flexible working patterns, phased returns to work and employees’ changing needs in the workplace, and it led us to think more about our clients in HR and how best to help them.
We predict that wellbeing at work will continue to be a hot button issue this year, from the new OH-based wellbeing strategy being developed by the NHS to SMEs looking to ensure the long-term health of smaller teams .
As a healthcare business providing ad hoc Occupational Health services, from workplace assessments to fitness for work assessments, we consistently see how important it is that high standards are implemented when it comes to supporting employees’ mental and physical health. We are also very aware that these cases can be time sensitive, and our specialist team of clinicians is able to deliver detailed reports to order within a five-day turnaround window when required – something our clients value enormously.
It has been interesting to think more about the important role Occupational Health can play for those in HR looking to support their workforce in the long term, and we recently took some valuable insights from a policy paper published last year by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and The Society of Occupational Medicine, which had a number of excellent recommendations for ways HR departments can benefit from working more closely with their colleagues and counterparts in OH, including calling for ‘a more strategic and preventative approach.’
Those who do know the value of utilising Occupational Health services are clear about what they contribute to organisations when properly implemented. According to The CIPD, its research consistently shows that both employers and HR professionals view OH services as a valuable resource to manage employee health at work, with access to these services identified as one of the most common and effective interventions for managing sickness absence. In other terms prevention is always the preferable strategy.
For example, the 2023 CIPD Health and wellbeing at work report found:
OH involvement is the fourth main method for managing long-term absence (73% of employers)
Offering OH assessments is the top way organisations support people with long COVID (72%).
The policy paper argued that we must reframe the view of Occupational Health as a reactive service only called upon for long-term sickness absence, and instead promote OH as an enormously valuable resource which can help to shape a preventative approach to employee wellbeing. This is also a view supported by many of the top legal firms in London, some of whom are clients. We absolutely support this view, which is why we provide ad hoc assessments for clients who don’t have in-house HR or long-term contracts with providers, but want to look after their workforce. This means we can be agile and efficient in our delivery so employers we work with can fully support their employees’ mental and physical wellbeing.
At Citi Health our OH services include everything from a simple workplace assessment to complex cases involving long term absences. Our dedicated physicians and nurses are high-level specialists who deliver professional, detailed assessments which give our clients’ HR departments the support they need to build healthy, happy teams. Working together is absolutely the best way forward, and thinking strategically about ways that OH can help prevention as well as cure is something we are fully on board with.
** To find out more about our dedicated ad hoc Occupational Health services call 0203 633 6301.
