"We would urge employers who are not yet engaged to get up to speed, rather than waiting for mandatory measures to be potentially introduced further down the line."
- Katharine Moxham - GRiD
New research by GRiD has found that 75% of UK employers have heard of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review, designed to help address the country’s increasing economic inactivity.
Awareness among organisations with over 250 employees is at 86%, but among businesses with 1-10 employees, just 45% report having heard of the review.
Overall, 18% of the 500 HR decision makers surveyed were aware of proposals made but were unaware of the details, and 16% were aware of the proposals made but were waiting for more guidance and advice from the government.
16% were also aware of the proposals made but intended to do some research to get up to speed, and 11% did not plan to take any action until it becomes mandatory to do so.
"The Keep Britain Working Review will play a vital role in supporting employers and the wider economy in addressing the challenge of reducing the 2.8 million people who are economically inactive due to health conditions, by improving employee retention and returns to work," Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD, said.
"It is very encouraging to see that awareness of the review is already relatively high at this stage."
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Katharine added: "Employers get the most value from their employee benefits, including group risk, when they actively engage with the products, advisers and providers, and make sure their employees understand and use the full range of built-in support designed to keep them physically and mentally fit for work.
"The Keep Britain Working Review has already generated strong awareness, which is encouraging. We would urge employers who are not yet engaged to get up to speed, rather than waiting for mandatory measures to be potentially introduced further down the line. A happier, healthier and more productive workforce is something every organisation should be striving for, and the sooner the better, and support is available to help achieve this."
