Work and health policy forum

Work and health policy forum

There is a strong focus on work and health in the year ahead as the UK Government focuses even more on reforming the benefits system to get more disabled people into and staying in work. Research we undertook last year also helping us understand where current workplace health and adjustments provisions need to be offered as one holistic ‘offer’ or ‘team’ within an organisation, plus a need to redefine how employers think about absences and readiness to return to work afterwards.

This forum meets sporadically ‘as and when’ needed via online discussion groups, one-to-one depth conversations, and giving views via polls and surveys.

This forum is currently focussing on the following topics:

• The impact of occupational and workplace health.
• Healthy sickness absences, fit notes, and returning to work.
• Workplace adjustments and job redesign.
• Use of employee assistance services and wellbeing services.
• Use private medical and group risk insurance products.
• What health means to different employees – disabled people, carers, parents – and during major life events, such as relationship changes, financial difficulties, and loss.
• The disability employment gap – including UK Government health and employment related announcements and consultations during Autumn/Winter 2024.

This group will inform BDF’s upcoming project exploring the ideal single and holistic workplace health and adjustments offer that line managers told us about in The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey.

This is an ongoing forum for members to bring their questions and challenges to BDF’s public policy team, and for the public policy team to give updates on UK Government work and health policy and lead topic discussions.

Who this forum is for

This forum is for anyone involved managing employees at line manager or HR EDI or wellbeing level. This includes line managers, workplace health and wellbeing professionals, HR case managers, occupational health practitioners, and workplace adjustments leads.

Partner and Member organisations only.

How to join

Please contact your BDF Business Partner who will sign you up. For further questions, you can contact policy@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk