CIPD Ireland welcomes the government’s National Framework for Healthy Workplaces in Ireland. The framework aims to support the growth of effective approaches to enhancing health and wellbeing in the workplace setting. This work forms part of the wider Healthy Ireland agenda.

The framework recognises that changes are needed in the culture, policies and practices in workplaces to deliver improvements in physical and mental health and wellbeing and work-life balance, improving the health of Ireland’s workforce.

It outlines the set of principles to guide implementation:

• Sustainable culture change: Position health and wellbeing within workplace culture, policies and practices in the context of a long-term change management process.
• Safety first: Ensure workers are safe and that risk in the workplace is managed in line with the law and best practice
• No health without mental health: Recognise mental health as core to health and wellbeing in decisions both at a strategic level and in delivery of change.
• Engage and empower: Provide workers with real opportunity to engage in creating and sustaining a healthy workplace.
• Integrated ways of working: Enhance and co-ordinate the work of professionals in roles related to workplace health.
• Proportionate universalism: Invest in improving the health of those at greatest risk of ill-health.
• Evidence-led: Using the best available evidence to inform actions.

A key objective is to share good practice, and the framework is accompanied by case studies from Eli Lilly, WALK, Central Statistics Office and ICE, which include companies that have been recognised as finalists or winners in our CIPD Ireland HR Award for Embedding a culture of wellbeing.

The next step is to build an implementation plan to deliver the supports for government, employers and workers. We look forward to engaging with the Department of Health on this. Members interested in this can get in touch at info@cipd.ie