- Drive to create more inclusive work environments and equip
employers with advice on how people from all backgrounds can
thrive at work and grow the economy
- Businesses and disability groups invited to test and shape
new service which supports employers to employ more diverse and
inclusive workforces
Thousands of businesses across the UK will benefit from a new
£6.4 million online service to help employers better support
disabled people and those with health conditions in the
workplace.
The early test version of the Support
with Employee Health and Disability service provides
essential information about supporting and managing employees
with disabilities or health conditions at work.
Any employer can access the service, which provides free advice
on how to manage staff who may be in or out of work with a
disability or long-term health condition in a user-friendly
online Q&A format.
The service is aimed at smaller businesses, many of which do not
have in-house HR support or access to an occupational health
service and will help them to build more diverse and inclusive
workforces.
The new service also covers potential changes an employer could
make to help them return to and stay in work, supporting a
government drive to boost numbers of people in employment and
ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from being in
work.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, said:
Since 2017 we have seen one million more disabled people in work,
beating our target by five years. Now we want to go even further
by giving more employers the tools and information they need to
ensure disabled people and those with health conditions can
succeed in the workplace.
As the new Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, there
is no end to my ambition to build on the success of the
Department by making sure disabled people have the same
opportunities as everyone else to start, stay and succeed in
work.
The site is currently in test mode, with businesses and
disability groups invited to have their say through a short
online survey, to help shape the future of the service.
The site will be constantly updated and improved over the next
three years, informed by feedback given from the survey
The service has been designed to give employers easy access to
the advice they need to create the best environments for their
staff with disabilities or long-term health issues, so that
anyone from any background can start, stay and succeed in work.
Once fully developed, the service will also help employers
understand their legal obligations, including how to make
adjustments for disabled people and those with health conditions.
Over the next three years, the government will invest £1.3
billion in employment support for disabled people and people with
health conditions. This money will go towards building up
existing provision, including expanding employment support, to
grow the economy and help people with the cost of living.
Further Information
- The new online service is a direct response to the
government’s 2019 consultation, ‘Health is everyone’s business’,
in which employers asked for joined-up advice on supporting
health in the workplace that is easier to find and act upon.
- The Support with Employee Health and Disability service is
available online here - Support
with employee health and disability – GOV.UK (dwp.gov.uk)
- The website is the first public version of the service and is
part of an almost £6.5 million (£6.428 million) programme of work
to help employers support and manage employees with disabilities
or health conditions.
- The latest figures show the number of disabled people in
employment has increased by 1.3 million since 2017, delivering on
a government goal to see one million more in work by 2027.
- The 10-year employment goal was a government manifesto
commitment originally set in 2017 to break down barriers for
disabled people and those with health conditions and to build
more diverse and inclusive workforces.
