Leading employers and workplace wellbeing experts have called on the UK government to act on long-standing recommendations aimed at improving employee health and productivity, warning that rising unemployment and fiscal pressures make reform more urgent than ever.
At a meeting of the Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing on 21 November, chaired by Gethin Nadin and led by psychologist Professor Sir Cary Cooper, participants emphasised the need to turn Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review into actionable policy. With unemployment now at 5%, businesses are bracing for potential measures in next week’s Budget that could tighten financial conditions further.
Speakers highlighted similarities between Mayfield’s recommendations and Cooper’s 2008 Mental Capital and Wellbeing Review, noting that despite extensive evidence linking employee health to productivity, retention, and economic performance, wellbeing has yet to become a central part of business strategy.
Experts warned that treating wellbeing as an optional extra risks repeating past mistakes. Rising taxes, energy costs, and labour market instability are placing significant pressure on organisations, making integrated wellbeing systems critical. The group stressed that smaller firms, which employ the majority of the UK workforce, often lack frameworks, surveys, reporting processes, and other infrastructure to manage wellbeing effectively.
Ownership of workplace wellbeing, participants said, cannot rest solely with HR or compliance teams. Effective systems require integration across leadership, management, and organisational culture. Promoting managers based on emotional intelligence alongside technical skills was identified as a key factor in creating psychologically safe, high-performing workplaces capable of early intervention and sustained support.
The meeting also addressed financial pressures on employers. Contributors called for tax relief and other incentives to help organisations invest in wellbeing systems, especially in light of last year’s National Insurance rise and potential changes to salary sacrifice schemes.
“If we build the systems that allow organisations to measure, track, and improve wellbeing, we will have healthier people, stronger workplaces, and much better productivity across the economy,” said Sir Cary Cooper.
Gethin Nadin added that current expectations on employers are unsustainable. “Public health is a core function of the state, not a corporate add-on,” he said. “Expecting employers to shoulder growing elements of the welfare state without structural support or financial incentives is not realistic.”
Other speakers raised concerns about rising financial stress among employees, the impact of taxable healthcare benefits on take-home pay, and the vulnerability of SMEs. Sandra Dyball highlighted the risk for small teams, noting that a single absence could affect 25% of the workforce.
The consensus among participants was clear: workplace wellbeing cannot be sidelined. With economic pressures mounting, employers, unions, and government must work together to create healthier, more resilient workplaces and deliver on recommendations that have been neglected for too long.
