his month the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and additionally the Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care, opened two significant pieces of consultation regarding the enforcement of employment rights in respect of health at work.
Mates in Mind would like to draw attention to both consultation pieces, which highlight the need for employers to address health and wellbeing in the workplace, of which mental health is a key component.
The ‘Good work plan: establishing a new single enforcement body for employment rights’ consultation will close 6 October 2019.
The ‘Health is everyone’s business: Proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss’ consultation will close 7 October 2019.
Mates in Mind will be seeking the views of our Supporters in due course.
Mates in Mind’s Director of Strategy Joscelyne Shaw said:
“These consultations reflect potential significant shift in the relationship between government and employers and come about following the acceptance of the recommendations put forward in various independent reviews published last year.
It is important therefore, that employers engage in these consultations. Mates in Mind will be looking to reflect the insight and experience of our Supporters and partners, particularly given the breadth of workplaces we are engaged with, which include SMEs.”
We encourage the engagement of our Supporter community with both consultations and we welcome Supporters getting in touch with by contacting our Communications Officer at [email protected]
For additional background information on the business case for addressing mental health and wellbeing, please see the British Safety Council’s report ‘Not just free fruit: wellbeing at work’.