The IGLOO framework is a practical, evidence-based tool to promote health, wellbeing and inclusion at work. IGLOO stands for Individual, Group, Leader, Organisation, and the Outside Context—reflecting the interconnected factors that influence health and work outcomes.

Developed through our work conducted in collaboration with Professor Karina Nielsen at the University of Sheffield and Professor Fehmidah Munir at the Loughborough University, led by our co-Managing Partner, Professor Jo Yarker, to improve return to work, the framework can be used to address a broad range of work and health challenges.

The IGLOO framework provides clarity on the resources required, and the roles and responsibilities at five levels:

• Individual – Taking action to maintain your own health and voice the support you need
• Group – Support from colleagues
• Leader – Support from line managers and equipping them to manage risks
• Organisation – Developing supportive policies and practices to improve wellbeing at work
• Outside – Accessing external support from healthcare professionals and in the local community

By viewing health and work through a multi-level lens, IGLOO empowers users to identify practical actions and align them with their goals. It provides a shared language and structure to address workplace challenges, drive cultural transformation, and improve both individual and collective outcomes. Whether shaping workplace policies, embedding wellbeing into leadership practices, or influencing national conversations, IGLOO equips stakeholders with the tools to create meaningful, lasting change in health and work.

The framework is designed to address critical challenges in health and work, supporting a range of audiences:

• Individuals can use it to understand and enhance their own health, resilience, and work performance.
• Groups can use it to understand how to support colleagues to navigate health and work challenges, and to optimise team performance.
• Leaders can use it to foster inclusive, supportive environments that prioritise team wellbeing alongside productivity.
• Organisations can apply IGLOO to create comprehensive strategies that integrate health and wellbeing into workplace culture, policies, and practices; identify relevant outside support available and recognise external factors that may influence the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
• Outside, beyond the organisation, Health and work professionals can use the IGLOO to highlight the avenues of support available to clients; and Policy makers can benefit from the holistic insights to inform systemic change and shape healthier, more equitable work environments.

CIPD. (2022) Managing And Supporting Employees With Long-Term Health Conditions: Guide For People Professionals, London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

CIPD (2021) Managing a return to work following long term sickness absence: Guide for people professionals. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Acas (2023). Reasonable adjustments for mental health.

SOM (2021). Returning to the workplace after the COVID-19 lockdown - toolkit. London, The Society of Occupational Medicine.

Mental Health at Work (2021). Transitioning out of lockdown and the impact on your work, for Mental Health at Work. London, MIND

SOM (2021). COVID-19 return to work guide: For managers. London, The Society of Occupational Medicine.

CIPD - Guides about working with long covid

- Guide for managers to support employees with long COVID.

- Guide for people professionals to provide support to those with long COVID.

- Research Evidence to inform support.

Nielsen, K., Yarker, J., Munir, F., & Bültmann, U. (2018). IGLOO: An integrated framework for sustainable return to work in workers with common mental disorders. Work & Stress, 32(4), 400-417. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1438536

Nielsen, K., Yarker, J., & Evans, H. (2019). Thriving at Work: The resources required to support employees returning to work following mental ill-health absence. ESRC Productivity Insights Network Report.

Nielsen, K., Yarker, J., Munir, F., & Bültmann, U. (2020). IGLOO: a framework for return to work among workers with mental health problems. Handbook of Disability, Work and Health, 615-632.

Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2020). Job crafting as a work adjustment strategy for workers returning after long-term sickness absence due to common mental disorders. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 43(2), 154-158.

Yarker, J., & Nielsen, K. (2022). Working with Long Covid. CIPD, London.

Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2022). Employees' experience of supervisor behaviour–a support or a hindrance on their return-to-work journey with a CMD? A qualitative study. Work & Stress, 1-22.

Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2023). What can I do for you? Line managers' behaviors to support return to work for workers with common mental disorders. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 38(1), 34-46.

Varela-Mato, V., Godfree, K., Adem, A., Blake, H., Bartle, C., Daly, G., ... & Munir, F. (2022). Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled study of a multicomponent intervention to promote a sustainable return to work of workers on long-term sick leave—PROWORK: PROmoting a Sustainable and Healthy Return to WORK. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 8(1), 188. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814‐022‐01143‐8

Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2023). Thrivers, survivors or exiteers: A longitudinal, interpretative phenomenological analysis of the post‐return‐to‐work journeys for workers with common mental disorders. Applied Psychology, an international review, 2023,1-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12479

Varela-Mato, V., Blake, H., Yarker, J., Godfree, K., Daly, G., Hassard, J., ... & Munir, F. (2023). Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers. BMC health services research, 23(1), 942. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913‐023‐09952‐0

Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2023). "It'sa rollercoaster": the recovery and return to work experiences of workers with long COVID. Work & Stress, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2023.2286654

Davis, O., Dawson, J., Degerdon, L., Delgadillo, J., Kadam, U., Nielsen, K., ... & Munir, F. (2023). Protocol for a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of a multicomponent sustainable return to work IGLOo intervention. Vol 10, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-023-01439-3

Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2024). Supporting workers with long Covid. Occupational Health at Work, August/September 2024 (vol. 21/2) pp16-18.

If there is anything we can help you with, do not hesitate to contact us at hello@affinityhealthatwork.com.