What helps people stay healthy at work?
It’s a question that’s becoming increasingly important as employers respond to rising levels of long-term sickness, workforce shortages and growing demand for health and care services. While there is no single answer, a new report from the Healthy Working Life programme brings together learning from across West Yorkshire, highlighting how good work, supportive workplaces and partnership working can improve health and wellbeing for staff across the health and care sector.
The report, Creating the Conditions for Good Work and Better Health, has been produced by New Light Insights on behalf of the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. It draws together learning from organisations across Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale and Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, offering practical insights for employers, workforce leaders, commissioners and policymakers.
This learning complements Forum Central’s work through the Healthy Working Life programme, which supports Leeds residents with health conditions and disabilities to build confidence, develop skills and move closer to employment through trusted Third Sector organisations. You can also explore the impact of Healthy Working Life: Round One and the stories emerging from funded organisations. Healthy Working Life: Round One
Looking beyond sickness absence
The report argues that workforce wellbeing should be viewed as more than a response to sickness absence. Good work can improve physical and mental health, strengthen social connections, provide purpose and increase financial security. Supporting people to remain healthy in work benefits individuals, organisations, communities and the wider economy.
Rather than focusing on individual health conditions alone, the report explores the wider factors that influence people’s experiences at work. It highlights the importance of workplace culture, leadership, access to support, flexibility, partnership working and early intervention in creating healthier working lives.
These themes closely align with wider work taking place across Leeds around prevention, health inequalities and neighbourhood-based approaches to improving health outcomes. If you haven’t already, you may also be interested in our article exploring The Neighbourhood Health way: working together to improve health in Leeds, which looks at how organisations are working together to improve health through stronger local partnerships.
Six key insights
Drawing on learning from across West Yorkshire, the report identifies six consistent themes:
- Workforce health is shaped by people, workplaces and wider systems.
- Good work actively supports better health and wellbeing.
- People’s experiences are complex and influenced by a range of connected factors.
- Early intervention improves outcomes.
- Place-based working can improve access to support.
- Strong partnerships create better results.
Together, these findings reinforce that healthier working lives are created through supportive workplaces, equitable access to support and collaboration across organisations rather than isolated interventions.
Why this matters for the Third Sector
Many Third Sector organisations already recognise the close relationship between health, employment and wellbeing. Whether supporting people into work, helping people remain in employment or providing community-based health and wellbeing services, organisations are often responding to multiple, interconnected challenges.
The report acknowledges this complexity. Alongside physical and mental health, it highlights the impact of caring responsibilities, disability, neurodivergence, financial pressures, menopause, workplace stress and wider life circumstances. It argues that effective support needs to recognise the whole person rather than focusing on individual issues in isolation.
Importantly, the report also emphasises health equity. It recognises that people working in smaller organisations, including many in the Third Sector, may have less access to occupational health and wellbeing support than those employed by larger organisations. It calls for a more equitable approach so that everyone has the opportunity to access the support they need to remain healthy in work.
From learning to action
The report concludes with practical considerations for employers, managers, commissioners and workforce leaders. These include investing in prevention, strengthening leadership and workplace culture, improving access to support, developing joined-up pathways and embedding workforce wellbeing into wider policy and organisational planning.
These recommendations reflect many of the principles underpinning the Healthy Working Life programme and the wider Work and Health agenda in Leeds. Forum Central continues to work with partners to support Third Sector organisations delivering personalised, community-based approaches that help people improve their health and move closer to employment. You can find out more about the programme and related resources on our Healthy Working Life pages, including information about the recent Work and Health Grants. Work and Health Grants
Read the report
The full report and accompanying Leeds and West Yorkshire infographics are available to download. They provide a valuable resource for anyone involved in workforce wellbeing, employment support, organisational development or partnership working.
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