The small choices people make each day can have a big impact on their long-term health, but their working lives can also have an important role to play.

We often overlook the impact that workplace environments can have on overall wellbeing. Work can provide financial security, social connection, structure, purpose, opportunities to develop and use skills, and offer a sense of achievement both individually and collaboratively. The natural pace of work can also assist in subconsciously keeping mentally and physically active, which in turn benefits overall health and wellbeing.

Workload, culture, and access to support can all affect how easy it is for employees to look after themselves.

In a welcoming and positive workplace culture, people are more likely to ask for help early and use the services available to them.

Here are five practical ways employers can support healthier working lives.

Wellbeing support is often only discussed when an employee is already struggling, absent from work, or having to deal with a health concern that’s become harder to manage.

But earlier support could prevent or significantly lower a growing health concern. 

Employers can help in early intervention and prevention by making advice and healthcare easier to access, before problems escalate. This may include virtual GP services, health checks, health screenings, mental health support, physiotherapy, cancer support services, or wellbeing assessments.

Raising awareness can help employees act earlier. Wellbeing calendars, employee resources, and webinars on specific health and wellbeing topics can help people understand common health risks and know where to turn for further guidance or help.

Employers can utilise wellbeing,  absence or claims data to target activity on the specific issues affecting their team. For example, if musculoskeletal claims are increasing, a targeted session on MSK health could significantly help employees understand how to prevent problems and seek support at an earlier stage, potentially removing further absences or sickness.

Additionally, employers should nurture a culture where employees are comfortable and educated enough to ask for help when they notice something isn’t quite right, rather than feeling the need to wait until a problem escalates and their options are more damaging to their life both inside and outside of work.

Although employers can’t be expected to diagnose health issues or take responsibility for employees’ personal choices, they can make sure they know where to turn.

Many group income protection plans include early intervention or vocational rehabilitation services, which can give HR teams and line managers guidance before an employee needs to take a period of sick leave. Occupational health input and early reasonable adjustments may also aide in helping employees stay in work safely, where appropriate.

Employee benefits can play a crucial role here. Private medical insurance, health cash plans, employee assistance programmes, group risk added value services, and wellbeing services can all help employees access treatment or support at an earlier stage.

It can be harder to maintain or introduce healthy habits when the working day gets in the way.

If employees regularly skip breaks, work long hours, eat lunch at their desk, struggle to switch off, or feel under constant pressure, wellbeing messages are much harder to act upon.

Employers should take an honest look at how work is organised and whether their day-to-day expectations are making it harder for people to look after themselves.

Job design significantly matters, too. Putting the right person in the right role, setting clear objectives, and creating regular check-in points can all help employees feel more supported and in control.

Workloads, deadlines, meeting culture, shift patterns, travel demands, hybrid working, and out-of-hours emails can all impact employees’ health and wellbeing.

Line managers – who are often the first to notice changes in behaviour, stress levels, performance or absence patterns – are well placed to help, but they need guidance on how to have supportive conversations and signpost employees to the right support.

While line managers are a key support group, they in turn need to be checked in on too. They can often feel caught between business demands and employee needs, particularly when dealing with workload, absence, or wellbeing concerns.

As most roles involve busy periods of work and competing demands, creating a healthier workplace culture will rarely mean removing pressure altogether. Employers should consider whether the working day makes it realistic for people to take proper breaks and ask for support when they need it.

Small changes can help, from encouraging breaks and setting clearer boundaries around availability to reviewing workloads and taking time to ask employees how they’re coping with their workload.

Although many organisations invest in benefits that support long-term health, in a lot of cases, employees simply aren’t aware of what’s available or even where to start.

A benefit is unlikely to have the impact it could otherwise have if it’s only mentioned during an induction or in a crisis.

Clear, regular communication is essential. Employees need simple explanations of what support’s available and how it could help in real-life situations.

For example, where should someone go if they are struggling with stress? What help is available if they’re waiting for treatment? Can they access physiotherapy without seeing a GP first? Is counselling confidential? Does private medical insurance include diagnostics, mental health support, or rehabilitation? Where do they turn if financial pressures are impacting their sleep?

Employees should not have to search through policy documents to find the answers to these sorts of questions.

Employers should share reminders throughout the year and explain how benefits can help with real-life issues, such as stress, pain, or everyday health concerns,

These reminder communications can help bring benefits to life through anonymised employee stories or practical examples, where appropriate. For instance, a campaign on stress could highlight the employee assistance programme (EAP), mental health support, virtual GP services, and manager guidance. A campaign on back pain could signpost physiotherapy, occupational health, health cash plan support, or early intervention services.

Employees will also be more likely to seek help if they understand what services are confidential, and what information - if any - is shared with their employer.

Managers don’t need to give specific health and wellbeing advice, but they should be able to point employees in the right direction in a non-judgemental manner.  This is particular important for benefits that support early intervention.

When employees are taking a period of leave due for reasons such as illness, bereavement, or surgery recovery, support should not begin and end with just recording the absence.

An understanding of why the employee is absent, what they actually need and advising what help is available is vital. This might include occupational health, rehabilitation services, physiotherapy, counselling, private medical treatment, income protection, or reasonable adjustments and a phased return to work.

Employees preparing for surgery, for example, may benefit from support before and after treatment, such as the signposting of available services, planning workload cover, and discussing what a safe and manageable return to work might look like.

Practical and supportive conversations should be had with employees to ensure they are honest about the reason for absence and can access support without feeling their privacy is being invaded.

Employees can also feel less isolated if employers stay in touch with them during a period of absence. They should agree how often contact should happen and make return-to-work conversations as supportive as possible.

Health and wellbeing needs can change throughout an employee’s working life, and can be shaped by a variety of factors such as their role, working pattern, caring responsibilities, income, location, or existing health conditions.

A teams’ unique demands and demographics doesn’t fit a one-size-fits-all solution – it requires a flexible, robust benefit and wellbeing strategy that understands the necessity of individualisation.

While younger employees may be looking for support with stress, sleep, finances, or access to everyday healthcare, employees in mid-life may be balancing work with caring responsibilities, facing menopause, family planning complications, musculoskeletal issues, or financial pressures. Others may be managing a long-term condition, recovering from illness, or planning for retirement.

Different occupations, from desk-based roles to manual jobs, can also bring different health-related challenges.

Employers can use workforce insights, such as employee feedback, absence trends, benefits usage data and claims information, to better understand what support is working and where there may be gaps.

Supporting healthier working lives ultimately boils down to making prevention and recovery part of everyday workplace wellbeing.

This can mean improving benefits communication, giving managers the confidence to guide employees towards the right services, or reviewing how people return to work after illness or treatment.

For employers, the focus should be simple – enable people to access support sooner and help them to feel supported through their recovery, no matter how big or small.