The role of employers in reducing the UK’s public health gap

This report focuses on the role of employers in improving the physical and mental health of their employees through measures to address workforce wellbeing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the link between the health of the population and the health of the economy and demonstrated the clear link between the health of employees and their productivity. At the same time employers have accepted that they have a responsibility for improving the health and wellbeing of their employees, with many acknowledging that it needs to be a board level agenda item. An increasing number of businesses, therefore, are investing in interventions, including digital wellbeing technologies, to help drive sustainable improvements in health outcomes.

A growing body of evidence shows that employer initiatives to support the health and wellbeing of their employees (and indirectly the public health of communities) helps improve staff retention and recruitment, as well as productivity and, ultimately, business growth. Recent research by Deloitte examining the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of employees estimated that the cost to employers of poor mental health in 2021 was between £53-£56 billion, a 25 per cent increase on Deloitte’s estimate in 2019. There is therefore a clear case for employers to invest in the physical and mental health of their employees. Read more >