NEWS
WHAT WILL WELLBEING LOOK LIKE ?
British Safety Council says the understanding of changing risks to health , safety and wellbeing needs to improve , in a new report about the future of work .
The public debate on the future of work has centred so far on the likely shape of the workplace and its implications for both employers and employees . There has been far less focus on what this might mean for workers ’ health , safety and wellbeing . When wellbeing has been considered , the discussion has centred on the present , rather than preparing us for the challenges of the future . Yet , the impact of automation on the workplace will be more fundamental than is commonly understood , with 11 million jobs predicted to be lost in the next 20 years in the UK . As we are already seeing with some ‘ gig ’ working , it may undermine such basic human needs as social identity , economic security and a sense of belonging .
These issues have been examined by the ‘ Future risk : Impact of work on health , safety and wellbeing ’ report commissioned by the British Safety Council from RobertsonCooper researchers . It reviews the existing literature on this subject and makes a number of recommendations . While providing an overview of the landscape of work , the report explores the changes that employers and employees are likely to experience over the next 20 years . It focuses on the risks of these changes to the health , safety and wellbeing of the workforce .
The Future risk : Impact of work on health , safety and wellbeing report can be downloaded at : www . britsafe . org / futurerisk-report
Professor Cary Cooper CBE , Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the University of Manchester , founder of RobertsonCooper , said :
“ We know that work is changing , which is why there is currently so much conversation about the future of work . However , we know less about the risks this might bring to the health , wellbeing and safety of employees , so it ’ s a challenge for businesses to prepare for this .” The main themes explored by the report are :
• Implications of ‘ any time , any place ’ work . A move away from standard work practices , hours and location will challenge the relationship between employers and their workforce . “ We are currently seeing loyalty between employers and employees decreasing , which means that retaining healthy , high performing employees is even more important . Organisations of the future need to trust their employees and manage by praise and reward ,“ explains professor Cooper .
• Need to build resilience . The future world of work will place new pressures and forms of stress on employees . Working alongside intelligent machines and robots , which never stop , outperform humans and are incapable of social interactions , will require an entirely different set of skills . This may strip away everything good work in traditional social environment offers employees , such as a sense of identity and belonging , as well as social support . That ’ s why employers will need to introduce specialist training and
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