Policy
The Inclusivity Project aimed to contribute to and influence local and national policy in the area of work and health. Our focus was on the small and medium size organisations within Cornwall, but our findings were of relevance and interest to a much larger audience.
The evidence
Systems analysis: Older people’s employability
Bias against older and disabled workers
Practical application
Hybrid work culture for older workers
Research areas
Qualitative research into small business resilience
Older female workers
Dr. Susan Reh and Prof. Victoria Tischler from the University of Exeter explore concerns around work and wellbeing, in particular in the context of older female workers.
They organized two workshops with participants across various countries in Europe on Sustainable Workplaces and the Wellbeing of Older Female Workers in Europe. This led to a review of literature that will appear in the forthcoming text: Sustainable Work in Europe (Peter Lang).
Resources
As the population ages, policy makers recognise the benefits of keeping everybody of working age productive, well, and in work. This supports the economy, reduces health inequalities, and improves quality of life for all. ‘Good work’ benefits everyone but we know work can have both positive and negative effects on health and wellbeing.
Over recent years, there has been increasing awareness of both the positive and negative effects of work on an individual’s health and wellbeing and organisational productivity. Key government policies included;
At a local level, Cornwall was leading the way in recognising the importance of Healthy workplaces. This was demonstrated by the work of Cornwall’s Healthy Workplace Team and The Beacon Project.
We recognised that undertaking detailed research and producing high quality evidence would take time but believed the potential impact of The Inclusivity Project was important to wider national employment challenges.