Building Healthier Workplaces: What HR Needs from OH in 2025 and Beyond
Occupational Health Awareness Week (OHAW) 2025, led by the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), underpins the growing strategic partnership between HR and Occupational Health. With complex health challenges evolving across the UK workforce, this collaboration has never been more vital.
The UK Workplace in Focus: Health Realities Shaping HR Priorities
Approximately 300,000 individuals leave work each year due to work-limiting health conditions, underscoring the critical need for early OH interventions.
Since 2015, 1 in 5 working-age people report a work-limiting health issue — a staggering 31 % rise.
Life expectancy growth has stalled, and while self-reported general health has improved among older groups, health inequalities persist and widen, especially across regions and socioeconomic groups.
The Healthy Working Life Expectancy (HWLE) beyond age 50 is sensitive to workplace factors: those with poor autonomy or weak support lose up to 1.8 years of healthy working life.
By 2040, an estimated 3.7 million workers in England will live with major illnesses—predominantly chronic pain, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression—with the greatest impact in disadvantaged areas.
Rising mental health challenges, particularly in younger employees, are driving increased time off and burnout.
Employers in the UK are already embedding preventive OH services—such as rapid triage, lifestyle assessments, virtual GP access and mental health support—to reduce absenteeism and boost retention.
A proactive workplace approach could save the UK billions: supporting those in ill health to stay in work could save £1 billion and reduce the £400 million weekly cost of work-related ill health The Guardian.
What HR Needs from OH in 2025 and Beyond
1. Proactive, Preventative Care
With chronic and mental health conditions rising, waiting for illness to occur is no longer viable. OH must enable early risk identification, health promotion, and preventive strategies—shifting focus from absence management to retention and resilience.
2. Data-Driven Strategic Insight
HR needs OH to transform data—absence trends, health reports, condition prevalence—into actionable insight that guides wellness programmes, flexible working policies, and targeted support for at-risk groups.
3. Tailored, Individual-Centred Solutions
Health judgment isn’t one-size-fits-all. OH should offer bespoke assessments and return-to-work plans, addressing barriers like health inequalities, demographic risk factors, and pandemic legacy effects.
4. Enhancing Healthy Working Life
By supporting autonomy, workplace support structures, and preventative ergonomics, OH helps extend healthy working life beyond age 50—benefiting both employers and employees.
5. Embedding Retention Through Wellbeing
Interventions such as rapid occupational health triage, education, and mental health support not only reduce absence but also foster engagement and loyalty—boosting retention in a competitive talent landscape.
6. From Supplier to Strategic Partner
OH shouldn’t just tick compliance boxes—it should reinforce HR’s strategic role. As a not-for-profit, SEQOHS-accredited provider, OH One offers independent, high-quality support that aligns with both workforce needs and business values. Discover more about our approach: Why Choose OH One
Why HR Should Lean on Occupational Health — Now
With stalling life expectancy, surging chronic illness, and growing inequities, HR cannot navigate these challenges alone. OH adds depth, strategy, and humanity helping workplaces not only survive, but thrive.
This OHAW 2025 is the moment to act. HR professionals don’t need to face these challenges alone. Partnering with Occupational Health can help you strengthen retention, reduce risk, and build a workplace where people thrive.
Explore our services or contact us to start the conversation today.