ADRIAN MERCER, MANAGING
DIRECTOR – FOHCUS HEALTHCARE
The keynote speaker at Wirral
Chamber’s Health and Wellbeing, In
Business event on June 5th, talks about
the benefits an effective occupational
health policy can have on company
productivity.
Many businesses view wellbeing as an
HR box ticking exercise but when you
look at it from a productivity and profit
point of view the evidence is compelling.
If employees are healthy, happy and
engaged then they are better equipped
to deal with the stresses and challenges
of the workplace. There are real benefits
when people feel valued: they take less
time off and are more productive. At
FOHCUS, we encourage employers to engage with their staff on a regular basis and to
ask the right questions. We use questionnaires that can track an employee’s emotional
wellbeing over time allowing them to seek help before absence occurs.
We also recommend health surveillance such as hearing and eyesight checks. It is
important that a new employee has some basic health markers that can then be checked
annually. This protects a business from unwarranted claims and provides insight as
to what health issues can be predicted and/or avoided. Checks vary depending on the
type of work involved but can range from simple tracking of blood pressure and lung
function through to full health surveillance.
A growing area of work for us is testing staff for drugs and alcohol. We work with HR
departments to help develop good policies for staff to understand their role in their
own health and safety, their colleagues and members of the public. Another challenge
for employers in the future will be managing an ageing workforce. It is not uncommon
for us to help manage an employee with three or more long term health conditions
which need careful and sensible processes to ensure employer and em ployee support.
A growing number of employees are reporting sick due to stress at work and often
the first time their employer is alerted is when they present a sick note from the GP.
We can help them back to work faster with a combination of medical help and talking
therapy and they often return more resilient than before. There is a wider awareness
of mental health issues and employees appreciate being able to have a quiet word with
an employer to say they are struggling and need help without fear of being judged.
The most rewarding part of our work is helping someone in a really poor place, with
mental health issues and struggling with despair. They go through occupational
management and counselling, and then you see them eight weeks later looking well
and happy and being productive again. They can’t believe how well they feel, and
often don’t understand how they’ve got there because it’s all been achieved by talking.
The biggest thing is the employee’s health because they’re the ones who feel the most
benefit, but there are also benefits for the employer and the business from achieving a
positive outcome in these situations.
Adrian will be joined by Laura Cross from Concentric HR and Carole Calland from
Westfield Health at the In Business event which will take place at the Lauries.
For further details or to reserve your place contact:
[email protected]
82 wirrallife.com
UPCOMING
EVENTS THIS
MONTH
MAY
THURS
08:00 - 10:00
17
Bank of England Breakfast:
Wirral Chamber of Commerce invite you to
a breakfast meeting with the Bank of England
Agent for North West England, John Young.
John will talk about the many financial changes
that have occurred since his presentation last
year and the future outlook.
JUNE
5
TUES
09:30 - 10:50
Digital & Creative Forum:
Businesses active in the Energy and
Environmental sectors in Wirral are invited
to attend our quarterly Wirral Chamber of
Commerce Energy and Environment Forum.
JUNE
5
TUES
13:00 - 15:00
Health in the workplace:
Health in the workplace is the focus of this month’s
’In Business’ and we are delighted to feature two of
our strategic partners who are experts in guiding
companies regards the health and welfare of their
staff. ConcentricHR and FOHCUS Occupational
Health have advised many Wirral businesses and
our part of our Strategic Advisory Board. Book in
free to see how they can help you.
JUNE
7
THURS
08:30 - 10:30
Manufacturing Forum:
Businesses active in the Manufacturing
sector in Wirral are invited to attend our
quarterly Wirral Chamber of Commerce
Manufacturing Forum.