New research will review, develop and test the effectiveness of workplace health and wellbeing initiatives in reducing employees time off sick.
The £3.7m five-year programme, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, will begin in May 2026. It aims to investigate the effectiveness and implementation of ‘workplace health and wellbeing initiatives that are free at the point of use to workplaces’, known as WHISPAs. These are offered freely to employers and funded by local government or voluntary and community organisations. The research will focus on small and medium-sized organisations with less than 250 staff.
University of Birmingham will lead on the collaboration between Newcastle University, Teesside University, Imperial College London, University of Hertfordshire, University of Exeter, East Sussex County Council and the British Chambers of Commerce.
Poor workplace health and wellbeing is costly. Mental ill health alone cost UK workplaces more than £100 billion in 2023. The number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has been steadily rising over recent years and in 2024 it reached a record high. One of many barriers to uptake of workplace support is cost, especially for smaller organisations. Over 60 local government regions provide free and subsidised support, but more is needed to understand and develop their work.
There are many initiatives that support workplace health and wellbeing, but we need to ensure support is accessible, effective, and appropriately tailored, especially for smaller and medium-sized organisations, which employ the majority of the UK workforce.
“Many large organisations, such as Universities, are able to fund and provide health and wellbeing support for their staff. This is harder for smaller and medium-sized organisations that have relatively limited financial and human resources. Across the UK, local government already provide substantial support for these workplaces that come from a range of sectors like manufacturing, retail, and financial services. This research is about working with local government and these businesses to energise, expand and learn from their approaches,” explains Dr Kudrna.
The initiatives the researchers will study provide information, advice, activities, and/or accreditation on workplace health and wellbeing, such as guidance on policies about musculoskeletal health, flexible working and caring responsibilities, mental health support, and fitness classes.
In the first year, an evidence review and fresh data collection will provide high quality evidence on the effectiveness of free and low-cost support for workplaces and how these can be implemented nationally.
Recommendations from the research will then be used to develop a support package for local government, focusing on mental health, musculoskeletal health and lifestyle health. This support package will be tested over several phases, working with local authorities to see how effective the recommendations are in real life. The main outcomes that will be reviewed are impact on sickness absence and quality of life, and the hope is that an effective health and wellbeing programme would reduce employee absence and improve how people feel and think about their lives and work.
As the dependency ratio becomes ever more challenging, and as larger portions of the potentially active workforce lay down their tools, the importance of health in the workplace rises, both for the health of the public, and for national prosperity.
Public contributors will work alongside the research team to refine the questions to answer, analyse data, and contribute to engagement and impact, co-creating content such as videos and blogs, among other activities.
The collaborative research team plan to share findings with government bodies, charities, workplaces, and the public, with the intention of changing how workplaces and local government provide staff health and wellbeing information and activities, contribute to reduced numbers of staff absence due to poor health and wellbeing, and improve quality of life.
“Workplace health is a vital prevention opportunity. We are proud to partner on the WHISPA programme to strengthen the evidence for what works in improving wellbeing and reducing sickness absence, ”explains Darrell Gale, Director of Public Health, East Sussex County Council.
The advisory board includes the Department for Work and Pensions, Society of Occupational Medicine, Health Foundation, Royal Society for Public Health, Centre for Evidence and Implementation, Mindkind Projects and IPSOS UK.
The study’s local government group includes a range of councils in the North East, Coventry City Council, and West Northamptonshire Council. Those that work in local government can express interest in joining the group: https://whispas.co.uk/.
Associate Professor in Health Research Methods
Staff profile page for Dr Laura Kudrna, Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham.
Director of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Centre West Midlands (ARC WM)
Staff profile for Professor Richard Lilford CBE, who is Director of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Centre West Midlands (ARC WM).
