IOM’s Response to Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review
Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review rightly identifies an urgent national challenge: with one in five working-age adults out of work and not seeking employment, and increasing numbers leaving work due to ill-health, the UK faces an unsustainable trajectory. The economic and human costs of ill-health are significant, with employers absorbing an estimated £85 billion in costs from sickness absence, lost productivity and wider organisational impacts. Against this backdrop, IOM strongly welcomes the Review’s focus on enabling people to stay in work and return to work and urges the Government to move quickly to implementation. Improving the support available to employers and employees is essential to fast track this process. with early establishment of the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit further underpinning workplace health initiatives.
IOM supports the report’s acknowledgement that health in working life requires a systems approach. For too long, occupational health, NHS services, and health and safety disciplines have operated in silos, limiting the potential for coordinated and preventative interventions. IOM advocates for integrated pathways that combine general health care, occupational health, occupational hygiene, and human factors expertise. Effective stay-in-work and return-to-work support should include on-site assessments that evaluate job demands, workplace exposures, and practical adjustments, ensuring that employers and employees are jointly supported.
Evidence from IOM’s Return to Work After Cancer research reinforces this need for holistic, personalised support. Returning to or staying in work after cancer is achievable and often beneficial, but workers frequently face insufficient guidance and inconsistent employer support. The study highlights the importance of tailored, flexible approaches that evolve with the employee’s recovery, accounting for fluctuating fatigue, infection risks, cognitive or psychological impacts, and the suitability of job tasks. Clear communication, proactive planning, and collaborative responsibility between employers, clinicians, and government are essential.
Similarly, IOM’s joint report with the British Safety Council on wellbeing at work demonstrates the gaps in how organisations measure, manage, and understand wellbeing. The research found a lack of standardised metrics and limited capacity among employers to assess whether wellbeing programmes are effective or represent value for investment. The Review’s proposal for a Workplace Health Intelligence Unit therefore represents a major step forward. A national function that provides guidance on consistent data collection and compiles evidence on what works will help organisations make informed decisions and will strengthen the collective understanding of health trends and effective interventions.
Overall, IOM endorses the Review’s direction and calls for an ambitious, whole-system movement toward “working life health.” The UK can only address rising ill-health and economic inactivity through coordinated action that supports individuals across all life stages, provides employers with clear guidance and evidence, and invests in integrated, preventative occupational health and hygiene services. The Review provides a strong foundation; implementation must now focus on joining up services, building the evidence base, and creating workplaces where people can thrive throughout their working lives.