Quality standard

Quality statement 1: Making health and wellbeing an organisational priority

Quality statement 1: Making health and wellbeing an organisational priority

Quality statement

Employees work in organisations that have a named senior manager who makes employee health and wellbeing a core priority.

Rationale

Giving a senior manager responsibility for health and wellbeing shows the organisation's commitment to a healthy working environment. The named manager can lead on healthy work initiatives and provide line managers and employees with support to improve working conditions. This can benefit both the organisation and its employees by increasing productivity, lowering staff sickness levels and improving job satisfaction and staff retention rates.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

a) Evidence of arrangements for a named senior manager to have responsibility for making employee health and wellbeing a core organisational priority.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally, for example, job descriptions, minutes of senior management meetings and organisational policies related to health and wellbeing. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's annual health and wellbeing survey collects data on whether organisations have a formal standalone wellbeing strategy as part of their wider organisation strategy and whether employee health is on senior leaders' agendas.

b) Evidence of arrangements for implementing an employee health and wellbeing strategy.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally, for example, an employee health and wellbeing strategy with metrics and details of the progress made. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's annual health and wellbeing at work survey collects data on the focus of wellbeing activities, budgets allocated for wellbeing and employee wellbeing benefits.

c) Evidence of arrangements to incorporate health and wellbeing in all relevant policies and communications.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally, for example, minutes of management strategy, planning and board meetings and communications with staff.

Outcome

a) Employee sickness absence rates.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally, for example, HR management systems. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's annual health and wellbeing at work survey collects data on employee short-term and long-term absence. The Office of National Statistics reports on sickness rates in the UK labour market, including days lost and reasons for absence.

b) Employee retention rates.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally, for example, HR management systems. The Office of National Statistics Labour Force Survey contains the question 'When did you start in your current employment?'

c) Employee satisfaction rates.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally, for example, staff survey results such as the NHS staff survey. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's annual UK working lives survey collects data on various aspects of job quality.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Organisations have a named senior manager who is responsible for making employee health and wellbeing a core priority. This role includes ensuring that health and wellbeing is included in the organisation's strategic and business management plans, and leading on initiatives to improve employee health and wellbeing.

Line managers recognise the importance of health and wellbeing and take it into account, for example, when planning tasks and designing jobs.

Employees know which senior manager is responsible for their health and wellbeing at work. They also know that the organisation they work for is committed to a healthy working environment and that jobs will be designed with this in mind.

Source guidance

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Senior manager

For a medium or large organisation (employing 50 or more people) the senior manager who takes responsibility for health and wellbeing would usually be a member of the executive team. Or they could be another senior member of staff who can influence that team. In smaller organisations the owner, or the person responsible for the day to day running of the organisation, could take on this role. [Expert opinion]

Health and wellbeing

Health relates to a person's physical and mental condition. Wellbeing is the subjective state of being healthy, happy, contented, comfortable and satisfied with one's quality of life. Mental wellbeing relates to a person's emotional and psychological wellbeing. This includes self-esteem and the ability to socialise and cope in the face of adversity. It also includes being able to develop potential, work productively and creatively, build strong and positive relationships with others and contribute to the community. [NICE's guideline on workplace health: management practices, terms used in this guideline and NICE's guideline on older people: independence and mental wellbeing, glossary]

Core priority

Organisations in which health and wellbeing is a core priority will have a health and wellbeing strategy or plan. It will also be included in all relevant policies (for example, absence and recruitment policies) and communications, and the organisation will develop or promote and coordinate health and wellbeing activities. [Expert opinion]