Whether A Health And Well-Being Programme Is Needed In NOMS Prisons
Executive summary
This report was commissioned to explain whether NOMS prisons and probation services which is an arm of the ministry of justice should implement the concept of employee health and well-being and whether a health and well-being programme is needed.
As work place health and wellbeing awareness has risen sharply with the government putting initiatives in place with campaigns and funding. Local authorities were tasked to champion well-being projects and encouraging businesses in its borough to take on the employee health and wellbeing agenda. There is huge evidence that highlight a positive link between employee well-being and long-term organisational health.
The report evaluates these findings and conclude the recommendation. In this advancing technological age, the world of work is moving at an ever-faster pace and pressing environmental factors such as the ageing population only increase the responsibility on employers to not only mitigate the workplace risks too but optimise peoples health and well-being. So all staff can engage in productive work in an environment and culture in which their health is protected regular attendance at work is supported work-related health risks are adequately controlled and good health is promoted.
Introduction
NOMS prisons and probation service main objective is aims to the public and reduce reoffending by providing and putting in place a more effective responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public.
Rejuvenating the mind and body - this is to enhance attention memory and performance reduce stress reduce sick days strengthen the team.
Building confidence - by building the teams confidence, it helps to improve employee practical techniques to help staff to cope during challenging times create a healthy and emotionally stable enviroment.
Resilient workforce - this promotes the and psychological as well as the physical well-being of its employees. This is to prevent or minimise the risk of illness and injury at work. The activity manage sickness/absence and return to work plans after illness or injury consider adjustments which enable staff with disabilities (either temporary or permanent) to carry out their duties.
Backgrounds
There are sound legal economic and moral reasons for looking after the health safety and wellbeing of our employees and anyone else affected by the work they carry out on behalf of working for NOMS. If implemented well then we would meet our legal obligations and avoid any unnecessary ill health accidents additional costs penalties and damage to moms reputation. A well run programme should boost the wellbeing of our staff to enrich the business and would generally reflect a well-run business that everyone benefits from.
Purpose of report
In considering evaluating and where possible implementing a health and well-being agenda strategic so all can be engaged in the process and benefit I guarantee that staff out-put would yield productive work as far as is reasonably practicable especially in an environment that adopts and promotes a culture where-by their staff health and well-being is protected supports and even rewards regular attendance at work work-related health risks are regularly checked, putting this into place will help control and maintain good health wihtin the orginisation.
A group investigation was conducted to research into what the government public health and local authority initiatives are for health and well-being. A critical analysis was done and presented via powerpoint presentation; considering the evidence for and against the concept of employees health and well-being with the conclusion as to whether our research has helped and improved the organisational health and business effectiveness.
Stakeholder analysis
All HR professional must understand who their targeted readers/audience is going to be and what their needs are. As this report is targeted to senior managers the report needs to highlight key findings of how they feed into and connect to the wider strategic goals of the organisation that they care about and how the health safety and well-being of their employees enable them to operate more efficiently and effectively. Select groups of employees carry a certain responsibility when an organisational approach is implemented and adopted such as the wellbeing agenda. Employers need to determine and make known the importance of the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved thus successfully implementing a holistic sustainable well-being programme gives an understanding and guidance of how you manage and interact with your stakeholders. It helps you focus on the key stakeholders who can make or break your program.
HR professionals must identify who their stakeholders are and understand their needs. Senior Manager - As senior managers have different needs from employees who will be more interested in how the health safety and wellbeing programme will improve their working conditions or processes; equally have different needs from contractors or trade unions. Senior managers are crucial role models if they are seen to participate in the interventions line managers and employees would be more willing to interact and engage in their scheme. Senior managers should show a wise awareness and execute the right authority and influence in regards to wellbeing being a priority within the organisations daily regime.
Line Manager - As line managers as they work more closely with employees they are in a better position to be more aware of the daily responsibility in the management of employees health and wellbeing. There should be a professional kindness/empathy and consideration when implementing stress management regime being aware of the signs of stress and then create a further step-by-step programme of how to prevent the stress from becoming worse. An example of such guideline could be making reasonable adjustments at work setting appointment with a counselor if the organisation provides this service alleviating and distributing workload fairly.
Employees - Employees should take some responsibility in their own health and well-being. As they work in tandem with their line managers and senior managers a professional but positive relationship should be established from the beginning to allow employees to approach their employers with confidence. Employees need to be open and willing to want their stress alleviated to help better their health and well-being. As some stress can be caused by external and internal factors; employees need to identify and work out ways in which they can be able to control their stress with the help of their employers. Employees need to actively engage with the incentives on offer with the support from employers that the organisation provides to help their own well-being but to do so salaries need to go up above the cost of living. Employers could then create a monthly/weekly programme that allows the employee to feedback their progress and if they are getting better or worse line managers can make an executive decision based on the outcome of the guidelines and help improve the existing initiatives and plan new ones.
Chapter 2
Research methodology
Within the group activity we divided the tasks as to who would research what. I chose to look at what the government and local authorities initiatives are for health and well-being for the public. For the local authority I decided to look at the boroughs the group members live in to compare and find any common theme these are:- Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, and Croydon, both qualitative and quantitative data were used to enable us to deliver our presentation. However, when I did my research I used qualitative data to justify my findings. I search the relevant and respected websites pertaining to the relevant organisation as this information was from an original source the material is considered as primary data. As qualitative data is non-standardised I found it difficult to generalise which made it difficult to analyse or give comparison in a quick visual manner graphs or table as quantitative data. However it was interesting to see the different ways the four boroughs interpreted and implemented the governments health and wellbeing initiative but only one seemed to address mental health issues as it appears to be a growing epidemic in the UK.
As this is a case study with some comparative design in preparing the group presentation and in writing this report different approaches in sourcing the information were used such as books which is consider secondary data as it references other sources. Due to the time constraint in producing the presentation we were unable to compare for instance each members workplace health and well-being policy like i did for our boroughs.
Theoretical context of the topic literature
Reveiwing back to 2008 professor Dame Carol Black published her studies on the health of Britain's working-age population working for a healthier tomorrow. The government then did some test to see if these would improve things: for example
- fit for work service pilotsh3
- occupational health advice services for small businesses and GPS: this is due and for mental health issues, as look at the statistics mental health issues and other group disorders has been on a rise.
The government then asked Miss Dame and David Frost for a review, updating different recommendations for improving on the matter of sickness absence.
The role of health and well-being in planning from the government to local authorities
From the findings, the government decided to challenge local authorities to implement the health and well being into their communities plans as well as in their planning decision to work with the health service organisations by promoting healthy/stable communities. This benefit is helpful to support appropriate health infrastructure for the employees health and well-being at work.
The governments leading forum for improving the health well-being and performance of working-aged Britain. The research initially done by Professor Black can be seen as bias as it only captures a certain percentage of the population in addition to the increase change in the retirement age would impact on the result. Factors which can also cause prolong sickness, absence, and leave from work will then effect the whole team as well as the orginisation will then cause employees to move out of work entirely dismissed on inefficiency grounds and onto benefits defeats the objectives of the initiative to keep people in employment. Then there is also the unchartered issues surrounding mental health any recommendations made will they work as well as they will for other health conditions it remains to be seen. The methodology used was done to achieve the results the government tasked them to achieve. However, there are a lot of economic issues that needs an address to balance out the health and well-being of working-aged people as a whole.
Chapter 3
Data analysis
Recorded back in 2016, a total of 137 million working days were lost to sickness and injury. This is of serious concern as it impacts on the whole nation hence the reason professor dame carol black recommended more collaboration to improve health and well-being.
Health wellbeing programme
HR professionals have a vital role in pushing the health and wellbeing agenda incentive forward that must also cover and support staff emotionally physically socially and financially. They must ensure that senior managers integrate wellbeing practices into the organisations day-to-day regime as a priority. HR professionals need to work closely with all areas of the business championing and communicating the benefits of a healthy workplace and provide practical guidance to line managers ensuring that rhetoric becomes a reality.
A well-being strategy needs to acknowledge not only the physical and psychological factors affecting health and well-being but the wider cultural and societal contexts too. The CIPD well-being model recognises five inter-related areas of employee wellbeing however it must be noted that an effective strategy should go far beyond a cycle of one-off standalone initiatives. To support peoples health and well-being workplace initiatives and activities need to include:-
HEALTH - physical health promotion good rehabilitation practices health checks wellbeing benefits health insurance protection managing the disability occupational health support employee assistance programme. Physical safety safe working practices safe equipment for personal safety training. Mental health stress management risk assessments conflict resolution training line managers to have difficult conversations managing the mental ill health occupational health support employee assistance programme.
WORK - A work place ergonomically designed working areas open and inclusive culture. Good line management effective people management policies training for line managers sickness absence management. Work demands job design job roles job quality workload working hours job satisfaction work-life balance. Autonomy control innovation whistleblowing. Change management communication involvement leadership pay and reward fair and transparent remuneration practices non-financial recognition.
Values/principles - Leadership values-based leadership clear mission and objectives health and wellbeing strategy corporate governance building trust. Ethical standards dignity at work corporate social responsibility community investment volunteering. Diversity and inclusion valuing difference cultural engagement of training for all employees and managers.
Collective/social - Employee voice communication consultation genuine dialogue involvement in decision making. Positive relationship management style team-working healthy relationships with peers and managers dignity and respect.
Personal growth - Career development – mentoring coaching performance management performance development plans skills utilisation succession planning. Emotional positive relationships personal resilience training financial wellbeing. Lifelong learning performance development plans access to training mid-career review technical and vocational learning challenging work. Creativity open and collaborative culture innovation workshops.
Implementation plan
A plan that any organisation can follow to implement their own agenda to the needs of the organisation. It must be available to all employees regardless of their health status location or role in the organisation and has co-ordinators who have relevant knowledge training and access to resources that promote health and well-being.
Findings
Professor Dame Carol Black called for a joined-up/collaboration policy approach on the part of the government when the national director for health and work and the many agencies and stakeholders whose work impacts on the workplace health agenda challenged her findings including government departments healthcare providers and business. Where the government decided to shift responsibility for aspects of health and social care away from Whitehall to local authorities this provides scope for more collaborated action to improve health and well-being at a local level. Chapter 4
Conclusions
It should be compulsory for all organisations to have a health and wellbeing programme. For further success if employees are to take some responsibility for their own health and wellbeing some factors should be considered towards their mental/emotional physical social and financial well-being that extends outside the employee's control which can have an adverse effect on not just the employee but their family. For instance, they can have difficulty in coming off the poverty line as the cost of living rises but the employees pay stays frozen or their pay is below London's standard living allowance. The government needs to increase salaries above the cost of living and together with local authorities should provide more affordable options for a healthy lifestyles e.G. Targeting/promoting areas/places that encourages people of all agendas to make better decisions to help promote more active/physical as well as more affordable travel to access to more high-quality healthier food. By having open spaces green infrastructure this then gives people more affordable opportunities to play sport and recreation that they charged local authorities to implement. As I found through my research that each borough the group members live in their priority and agenda differs greatly.
Recommendations
I believe every employer has a duty of care to there employee and as such should provide adequate respite and de-stressing programmes to their employees with gym membership discounts health plans and more. Delegating a day or week dedicated towards well-being depending on the size of the organisation to promote/teach healthy lifestyles.
The government and local authorities should also be providing more financial incentives, such as tax incentives for employers that have already invested in a health and well-being programme for staff which I believe would also encourage more organisations to get on the band-wagon and invest in a health safety and well-being programme.
