Every year, 149 million working days are lost in the UK to sickness or injury, costing an estimated £100 billion. In North Somerset, 74.1% of employees report a long-term health condition—higher than the regional and national averages. This evaluation examines whether a free public health initiative, the North Somerset Healthy Workplaces Programme, can improve employee health and wellbeing by supporting employer-led activities. The programme offers a flexible framework of six healthy workplace goals and nine wellbeing topics, with organisations working towards awards. Since March 2023, 27 workplaces representing 26,751 employees have joined, with 11 Bronze, 3 Silver, and 2 Gold Awards granted. The research uses surveys, interviews, and focus groups to understand what drives engagement, which elements work best, and what challenges arise. If successful, the findings will allow refinements to the programme and provide practical recommendations for other local authorities considering similar workplace health schemes. This could help reduce sickness absence and improve productivity across the UK, quietly supporting the infrastructure of public health and economic stability.
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Employment is a crucial factor for health which both directly and indirectly impacts on individuals, families and communities. In the UK, 149 million working days are lost annually to sickness or injury, with an estimated annual economic cost of £100 billion. In North Somerset, 74.1% of employed individuals report a physical or mental long-term health condition - higher than the regional (69%) and national (65.3%) averages. Given that people spend much of their lives at work, workplaces play a significant role in shaping health and wellbeing. The North Somerset Healthy Workplaces Programme was launched in March 2023 and aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the working age population. It is a free public health initiative supporting employer-led staff health and wellbeing activities and offers. The programme offers a flexible framework based on six healthy workplace goals and nine wellbeing topics, with participating organisations working towards awards. Since its launch, 27 workplaces have signed up as members, representing 26,751 employees, with 11 Bronze, 3 Silver and 2 Gold Awards granted. This evaluation aims to explore how employees of the North Somerset Healthy Workplaces Programme member organisations experience the programme, what influences engagement, and which elements are most effective or challenging in practice. It will utilise a mixed methods approach utilising routinely collected programme data, a survey, interviews and focus groups. The findings of this evaluation will enable refinements within the programme and recommendations for other areas undertaking similar work, helping to further improve the health and wellbeing of employees.
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