Wellness in Work: Supporting Health and Wellbeing at Work

Wednesday 10th July 2024
With Public Health Network Cymru

What are the economic benefits of ensuring the health and wellbeing of the workforce in Wales? What interventions are effective and cost-effective in relation to workplace health?  And what support do smaller employers need to implement wellbeing interventions and approaches?

Chaired by Mary-Ann McKibben, Consultant-lead for Healthy Working Wales (Public Health Wales), this webinar heard from academics who have undertaken research and evaluation to understand what works in relation to workplace health approaches.

Jacob Davies, Health Economist and PhD Staff Candidate within the Public Health and Prevention Economics Research Group (PHERG) led by Professor Rhiannon Tudor Edwards, provided insights into the findings of their Wellness in Work Report and discussed the types of interventions likely to be most cost-effective in improving wellbeing at work.

Nigel Lloyd (NIHR-funded PHIRST Connect team based at the University of Hertfordshire)  outlined the findings of an evaluation of workplace health and wellbeing support in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Walsall, in particular focusing on the main barriers identified to SME engagement and action and how they might be addressed.

Learning outcomes:

• To understand the links between health and work and the role of Healthy Working Wales.
• To learn about the economic benefits of keeping the workforce in good physical and emotional health, and the most effective and cost-effective interventions in improving wellbeing at work.
• To learn about the barriers and enablers for small and medium sized enterprises in taking action on health and wellbeing.
• To understand how to use insights and evidence of effectiveness to help shape public health action on health and work.

Chair
Mary-Ann McKibben, Consultant in Public Health and lead for Healthy Working Wales, Public Health Wales

Speakers
Jacob Davies, Research Project Support Officer and PhD Staff Candidate at the Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), Bangor University
Nigel Lloyd, Senior Research Fellow, NIHR-funded PHIRST Connect, University of Hertfordshire

A transcript of the video is available on request.