Action for healthier working lives

This report aims to build consensus for the action needed by government and employers to meet the UK's working age health challenge of record numbers of people experiencing ill health that limits the type or amount of work they can do. The report sets out the need for a new approach to work and health, outlining key recommendations to lay the foundation for sustained long-term change. 

8.2 million working-age people in the UK report having a long-term health condition that limits their ability to work. Only half are in work today and 300,000 leave their jobs each year. This has resulted in substantial costs for individuals, employers and the wider economy; and risks deepening existing inequalities. This final report from the Commission for Healthier Working Lives sets out practical steps to shift policy and action towards preventing people from having to leave the workforce. 

The report provides an overview of the barriers to action for employers, issues with the existing social security system, past and present UK labour market policies and international success stories. It recommends building a more coordinated and effective workplace support and benefits system, including through:

• reforming statutory sick pay rates
• a new ‘vocational rehabilitation benefit’ to help people stay in work when statutory sick pay ends
• a caseworker-led service to give people the right support at the right time – starting while still employed.