Occupational Health and its relevance to SMEs?

Occupational Health is a specialist branch of medicine that focuses on the physical and mental wellbeing of employees in the workplace. Occupational practitioners are medical and healthcare professionals (mostly doctors and nurses) with specialist areas of expertise.

They work with the people responsible for HR and people management in businesses of every size to provide impartial advice that supports employees and helps employers understand people’s issues.

By engaging with Occupational Health practitioners, businesses can take both a proactive and reactive approached to employee health and safety which, in turn, reduces absences, increases engagement and boosts productivity.

Yes, there are costs associated with Occupational Health and at a time when many SMEs are struggling with cash-flow, these may see like an unnecessary financial burden. But the reality is, Occupational Health can help businesses reduce costs and ensure their people are working happily and productively at a time when their efforts are so key to business recovery.

With so many people and their loved one’s affected by COVID-19, it’s important that employers to take steps to look after the physical and mental health of their people and protect themselves.