About the project
Are you a Wellbeing Professional or responsible for wellbeing within a UK organisation? We would like to hear from you.
Our 2025 Affinity Health at Work Research Consortium project, as voted for by our members, is Developing a Professional Framework for Wellbeing Professionals.
As the demand for wellbeing professionals grows, there is no clear professional pathway for those entering or advancing in these roles. Professionals come from diverse backgrounds (HR, occupational health, H&S, lived experience), making it difficult for both individuals and employers to define necessary skills, qualifications, and career paths.
This project aims to:
- Define core competencies and training needs for Wellbeing Professionals
- Establish career pathways and role parameters across disciplines (OH, H&S, HR)
- Support institutions (e.g., IOSH, SOM, HSE, CIPD) in curriculum development
- Help organisations recruit, develop, and retain talent
- Enhance recognition and visibility of the wellbeing profession
Our Approach
We will use an evidence-based methodology over five phases:
1. Steering Group Consultation - Define inclusion criteria and guide project direction
2. Focus Groups, Round tables & Interviews - Gather insights from professionals and institutions
3. Literature Review - Identify key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
4. UK Survey - Capture the range of KSAs and demographic data
5. Framework Development - Map core KSAs to professional backgrounds
Would you like to be involved? We want to gather the perspectives of as many wellbeing professionals from as many different backgrounds as we can. If you would like to take part in a round table or interview, would like to take part in our survey later this year, share evidence and job descriptions with us or would like to keep in touch and get early access to the completed report, please register your interest below.
