The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is expanding its drive to reduce long-term sickness by asking employers to play a much bigger role in keeping disabled and chronically ill people in work – a move ministers say could transform workforce participation, but which also raises questions about choice, workplace rights and employer responsibility.
Nearly 200 workplaces have now signed up as “Vanguard” employers under the Government’s Keep Britain Working programme, part of a wider strategy aimed at tackling the UK’s growing economic inactivity crisis.
The initiative, led by former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield, brings together more than 250 employers, local authorities, NHS organisations and disability groups to test new ways of supporting staff before health problems force them out of work.
At the heart of the latest plans is a new Workplace Health Intelligence Unit, which will, for the first time, collect standardised data on sickness absence, return-to-work rates and disability participation across UK workplaces.
The Government believes better data, earlier intervention and personalised “stay in work” plans could help address one of Britain’s biggest labour market challenges, with 2.8 million people currently out of work because of long-term sickness.
But while ministers argue the reforms are about offering support earlier, disability advocates have long warned that any attempt to reduce welfare spending or increase workforce participation must avoid placing additional pressure on people whose health limits the work they can do.
Sir Charlie Mayfield said the current system intervenes too late: “For too long, the system has been organised around supporting people after they get ill or face barriers.
“We need to shift the emphasis to earlier action, better integration, and a genuine, shared commitment to keeping people healthy and in work.”
He argued that employers should become active partners in workplace health rather than leaving responsibility solely to the NHS or benefits system: “It’s rare to find an opportunity that benefits employers, improves people’s life chances, and reduces government spending – all without large up-front investment.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said businesses had embraced the programme: “The response from employers has been remarkable. Across every region and every sector, businesses want to do better by their workforce; they just need the right framework and the right support.
“Keep Britain Working is delivering both. A new national standard, better data, and real accountability. This is how we fix the broken system, keep people in work and grow our economy.”
The plans form part of the Government’s wider £3.5 billion employment support package, which includes expanded WorkWell services, Connect to Work and more than 1,000 specialist advisers helping disabled people and those with long-term health conditions remain in employment.
Health Secretary James Murray said the Government wanted to move beyond a system centred around issuing fit notes: “For too long, too many people have been handed fit notes without any extra support. What they really need is help to stay in work or get back to work safely.
“A piece of paper that so often closes doors is no substitute for a plan that opens them.”
Supporters argue that good work can improve health outcomes, reduce isolation and prevent people falling permanently out of the labour market.
Business leaders involved in the programme say earlier intervention, better-trained managers and more flexible workplace adjustments could stop short-term sickness becoming long-term absence.
But the initiative also arrives amid wider debate over disability benefits and welfare reform, with campaigners increasingly concerned about whether policies designed to increase employment risk blurring the line between encouraging work and expecting it regardless of an individual’s circumstances.
The Government insists the programme is centred on voluntary support, prevention and better workplace practices rather than forcing people back into employment.
Whether that balance can be maintained as wider welfare reforms continue to develop may become one of the defining questions of Britain’s disability and employment policy over the coming years.
Companies signed up to the Government’s ‘Keep Britain Working’ programme
The Government says nearly 200 workplaces have now signed up as “Vanguard” employers, with major businesses including:
The programme also includes NHS trusts, disability charities, insurers, local authorities and regional mayoral authorities across England, alongside all three devolved administrations.