Our library

This research was conducted by Affinity Health at Work, co-sponsored by IOSH via its Research Consortium, to explore the impact the COVID-19 pandemic on employee's health and wellbeing and what can be learned from it.
Researchers conducted interviews and held focus groups with employees, managers and...

Whether on or offshore, the work and lifestyle of a remote rotational worker is unique. While lucrative for some, it has long been associated with a high impact on mental health and wellbeing. To reveal the true extent of this, the International SOS Foundation commissioned a ground-breaking global study...

Drawing on research and practice, Affinity Health at Work contributed to this guide from the Society of Occupational Medicine. This guide shares recommendations for returning to the workplace after lockdown

Drawing on research and practice, Affinity Health at Work contributed to this toolkit for Mental Health at Work. We share tips and strategies to support individuals struggling with the transition out of lockdown.

This paper offers a model of self-confidence for use in executive coaching. Self-confidence is an important coaching topic, yet our understanding of what it is and how it can be developed is limited to narrower concepts of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Current approaches are static and focus on personal...

Coaching is often used to improve self-confidence however little is known about how self-confidence is measured. For practitioners looking to evaluate their work, being able to measure self-confidence is key. This systematic review presents findings from a conceptual and methodological review of measures...

Developing a Covid secure health and wellbeing strategy

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically shifted the way we learn. Learning and development practitioners have been challenged to step outside of their comfort zone, be curious and embrace new ways of delivering learning with high impact for the digital age. This longitudinal focus group study investigated...

Working with a multi-disciplinary team, Affinity Health at Work contributed to this guide for the Society of Medicine to support people to return to work following Covid-19 infection

Research shows that employees are more likely to return to work safely and productively following long-term sickness absence if they are well supported during their absence and on their return.

The key considerations for managing an effective return, including for those suffering from long COVID, are...

Business in the Community's (BITC) What If Your Job Was Good For You? report identifies actions employers can take to transform wellbeing at work. The report sets out how business leaders can create an environment in which employees feel supported to do their best work. It also outlines how to achieve...

Covid-19: are reports of its demise greatly exaggerated?

Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic – approaches to support employee health and wellbeing

There is increasing focus on designing workspaces that promote less sitting, more movement and interaction to improve physical and mental health. This study evaluates a natural intervention of a new workplace with active design features and its relocation to a greener and open space.
An ecological model...

Mindfulness is increasingly being used within leadership development to enhance managers' wellbeing and leadership capability. Given the relational nature of leadership, we posit that an interpersonal form of mindfulness has the potential to offer benefits over and above those provided by personal or...

The cost of sickness absence has major social, psychological, and financial implications for individuals and organisations. Return-to-work (RTW) interventions that support good quality communication and contact with the workplace can reduce the length of sickness absence by between 15 to 30 days. However,...

Over 15 million people live with a long-term health condition in the UK1 and in 2019/20, there were 32.5 million estimated working days lost due to work-related ill health2. Having good management practices gives employee the best chance of staying in work and fulfilling their potential.

This guide introduces...

An estimated 1.3 million people (1.9% of the population) were experiencing self-reported long COVID as at October 2021. The prevalence and impact of long COVID is emerging as a significant concern and needs ongoing attention from people professionals.
In order to provide timely and appropriate support...

A growing body of research demonstrates the impact of management behavior on a range of individual and organizational health and wellbeing outcomes; however, efforts to train and develop managers often fall short. This chapter focuses on research to identify competencies–or the collection of skills,...

Drawing on Affinity Health at Work research for the CIPD, involving returning workers, line managers, occupational health, employment advisers, and rehabilitation professionals, HR professionals and the Long COVID Support group, these CIPD guides offer advice and practical recommendations to provide...

Drawing on Affinity Health at Work research for the CIPD, involving returning workers, line managers, occupational health, employment advisers, and rehabilitation professionals, HR professionals and the Long COVID Support group, these CIPD guides offer advice and practical recommendations to provide...

Drawing on Affinity Health at Work research for the CIPD, involving returning workers, line managers, occupational health, employment advisers, and rehabilitation professionals, HR professionals and the Long COVID Support group, these CIPD guides offer advice and practical recommendations to provide...

Drawing on Affinity Health at Work's research with the University of Sheffield and CIPD, these guides produced by the CIPD offer advice and practical recommendations to provide support to employees with long COVID. This guide is for colleagues to help them support workers with long covid. There are also...

This study investigated the relationships between the context of home-based teleworking during the pandemic (pandemic-teleworking conditions), productivity perceptions during home-based teleworking, and employees' future teleworking inclinations (FTI) beyond the pandemic. Specifically, the study examined...

We were pleased to be BITC's research partner to create the 'Your Job Can Be Good For You' report which sets out how businesses can revolutionise the way employees work while supporting broader responsible business goals. It also includes recommendations to begin post-pandemic re-sets of employee wellbeing...

Mental ill-health is the leading cause of sickness absence, creating a high economic burden. Workplace interventions aimed at supporting employers in the prevention of mental ill-health in the workforce are urgently required. Managing Minds at Work is a digital intervention aimed at supporting line managers...

This paper provides guidance on the identification and management of Long COVID - particularly regarding return to work. This guidance has been produced by members of The Society of Occupational Medicine Long COVID Group, of which our Managing Partner Jo Yarker is a member, and other work and health...

This review examined the extent, nature and quality of the current empirical evidence for physical workplace adjustment to support occupational longevity, performance and health/well-being in ND workers because of their specific sensory needs. Our results indicate that the research is generally not well-developed,...