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While employee relations investigations are an important part of organisational practice for managing workplace issues, there is growing evidence of the significant harm they can cause to individuals being taken through them. This harm can also spread further to those involved in their delivery, as well...

Abstract

Despite the significant role of employee digital attitudes in influencing workplace digital change, research in this area remains fragmented and we lack a comprehensive understanding of the causes and effects of these attitudes. To bridge this gap, we propose an Integrated Digital Attitudes Framework...

Poor psychological health costs the global economy an estimated US$1 trillion each year in lost productivity. A major driver of this loss lies in unmanaged psychosocial risks, which are now among the biggest challenges to employee wellbeing.

As these risks move into the global spotlight, governments are...

Francoise Woolley on why a strategic, evidence-based approach matters.

The evidence is overwhelming. For organisations of all sizes, investing in wellbeing is not simply about doing the right thing for employees. It's also instrumental in driving engagement, productivity, organisational resilience, reputation...

Occupational health (OH) professionals play a vital role in enabling healthier, safer, and more productive working lives. Leadership within the profession has traditionally centred on clinical and technical expertise, and while these foundations remain essential, the evolving landscape of work and health...

Medical doctors are at risk of poor mental health, linked to their working conditions. However, little distinction is made between private and public practice where working conditions differ. This review examines the relationship between perceived working conditions, psychological health, and patient...

Although the link between work and health was first made over 300 years ago by the so-called 'father of occupational medicine' Bernadino Ramazzini, our understanding and practice around wellbeing at work is relatively new.

A growing body of both research and business case data (e.g. Deloitte, 2024) shows the most effective way to support workplace wellbeing is preventative – addressing the root causes of stress and mental ill health rather than treating the symptoms.

The increasing prevalence of private-sector work among doctors raises questions about its impact on their health and wellbeing. While private practice may offer autonomy and financial benefits, it presents unique psychosocial risks that are less understood. This study investigates the relationship between...

Background

Managing long-term sickness absence is challenging in countries where employers and managers have the main responsibility to provide return to work support, particularly for workers with poor mental health. Whilst long-term sick leave and return to work frameworks and guidance exist for employers,...

Background:

Line managers play a key role in preventing poor mental health but often lack necessary skills and knowledge. Existing interventions typically focus on mental health awareness rather than practical skills. The evidence-based Managing Minds at Work (MMW) web-based training program was developed...

IOSH's report tackles Britain's workplace health crisis head-on. Work-related illness affects 1.7 million UK workers. It costs employers £150 billion every year.

IOSH brought together leading occupational health experts and organisations to create a clear, practical plan to transform workplace health....

As occupational and business psychologists, we are seeing first-hand the rising psychological toll of modern work. According to MHFA England (2024), 63% of UK employees are now showing signs of burnout, a steep rise from 51% just two years ago.

This trend is in part fuelled by longer hours, blurred boundaries...

As Business Psychologists, we are acutely aware of the increasing strain work demands are placing on employees' psychological resources. 2024 data from MHFA England¹ reveals that 63% of UK employees are now experiencing symptoms associated with burnout, including exhaustion and disengagement –...

Drawing on academic research and practitioner experience, this report explores what good leadership looks like and how people professionals can be effective in the selection and development of senior leaders

Good senior leadership is vital in providing organisations with the right strategic direction...

Purpose

This study aimed to understand the lived experience of UK NHS doctors who encountered second victim phenomenon following an adverse event and the role that medical leadership played in their trajectory.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight NHS doctors....

Purpose

Developing stress-preventive management behaviors is recommended to improve psychosocial working conditions and employee well-being. A learning and development intervention based on the UK "Management Competencies for Preventing and Reducing Stress at Work (MCPARS)" is effective for helping supervisors...

Although all employee disciplinary investigations are likely to carry some degree of stress, poorly delivered investigations that do not uphold due diligence to protect those involved can cause serious harm to individual employees, their colleagues, managers and organisations. This scoping review examined...

Psychosocial hazards, such as high workloads, long hours, and lack of control or autonomy, significantly impact employee mental health and wellbeing, with stress and mental ill health often arising when demands outweigh individual's resources. Job demands, including unachievable deadlines, cognitive...

The objective of this study was to synthesise evidence assessing the effectiveness of workplace-based interventions that promote self-management of multiple long-term conditions or disabilities, e.g., type I and II diabetes, asthma, musculoskeletal injury/disorder, cancer, and mental ill-health. A prospectively...

The demand for pet-friendly practices has increased since the global pandemic, with some employees reporting a preference for working alongside their companion dogs. Despite increased scholarly interest in pet-friendly practices, gaps exist in understanding their real-world impact. This study examines...

Organisations are recognising that more needs to be done to support female talent. One response to this is women-only leadership development programmes (WLDPs). To date, no scoping review has previously been conducted to examine the design and outcomes of these programmes. The purpose of the present...

Background: The level of stress experienced by staff in the healthcare sector is highly prevalent and well documented. Self-compassion may support the health and wellbeing of individuals and enable them to stay well at work. This study aimed to understand whether a brief, online, self-guided, novel intervention...

The work of people professionals has unique and difficult challenges such as managing conflict, undertaking redundancy and restructuring. People professionals are often the 'face' of such activities or programmes, even if they are not the decision makers. HR work may also involve advising on or supporting...

This new SOM guide to buying wellbeing products or services, launched today as part of Occupational Health Awareness Week, aims to provide occupational health (OH) professionals, and those responsible for purchasing wellbeing products or services, with evidence-based frameworks to make informed and effective...

The "Management Competencies to Prevent and Reduce Stress at Work" (MCPARS) approach focuses on identifying the stress-preventive managers' competencies able to optimise the employees' well-being through the management of the psychosocial work environment. Considering leadership as contextualised in...

Long COVID is a complex syndrome that affects many people previously infected with COVID-19. It has major implications for the workforce, contributing to sickness absence, impaired productivity and job loss. Karina Nielsen and Jo Yarker explain how a framework that combines support from managers, occupational...

Mental health presents a major challenge in the modern workplace, and COVID-19 exacerbated this challenge. In this chapter, we propose the Integrated Organizational Mental Health Resilience Framework, a framework that outlines the steps needed for organizations to develop resilience against turbulence....

This chapter discusses research on factors impacting wellbeing for three groups of employees with very different working patterns: business travellers, remote rotational workers, and hybrid workers. The chapter presents three studies, conducted with global samples between 2018 and 2021, which explored...

Click here to watch our webinar in collaboration with the Society of Occupational Medicine about long COVID workers' lived experiences adjusting to work.

If you want to find out more about working with long COVID, have a look at our guides with CIPD:

• Working with long COVID - guide for employees
• Working...