Railway Health and Wellbeing Roadmap
The High Level View
Version 1
February 2014
‘GB railway is an industry where everyone takes responsibility
for HEALTH and WELLBEING and benefits from it’
The roadmap identifies a collaborative intention for better
employee health and wellbeing within the railway industry.
A roadmap has been developed through a detailed industry conversation as to how
health and wellbeing can be improved
This document represents ‘The High Level View’ of the roadmap. If you would like a more comprehensive understanding of the
roadmap and the process used to develop it then please refer to ‘The In-depth View’.
The roadmap can be seen in two layers:
• A graphical interpretation of the main information for general discussion
• Detailed plans that elaborate on the 5 key strategic themes of the roadmap
The roadmap was developed in collaboration with a number railway professionals and health and wellbeing experts who are thanked for their input. The companies
represented at the workshops were:
Abellio Greater Anglia
Bombardier
East Midland Trains
GB Rail Freight
Marum Healthcare Ltd
Southern
Alstom (UK)
Capita
Health & Safety Executive
Mersey Rail
South West Trains
Arthur D. Little UK
Carillion Plc
Health Management Ltd
Network Rail
Transport for London
Arriva Trains Wales
Chiltern Railways
Ergonomics Design
Safety Consultancy
Training Research
Health@Work
Northern Rail
TSSA
ASLEF
Costain Rail
Heathrow Express
ORR
Unipart Rail
Atkins
Cross Country
Hesketh Work & Health Ltd
PACTS
UNITE
ATOC
Department of Health
IPA
RSSB
Work and Well-Being Ltd
Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd
Department for Transport
London Travel Watch
RMT
Bam Nuttall
East Coast
Passenger Focus
Southeastern
Eversholt Rail
First Great Western
First Group
Freightliner
First Trans Pennine Express
Endorsements – ORR, RSSB Board, RDG???
The timing is right for a more collaborative way of working to improve railway employee health and wellbeing
Through a variety of cross-industry and sector initiatives many industry professionals with an involvement in managing health have shown an openness and desire to
come together to improve the health and wellbeing of railway employees. They also recognise that this work should increase employee productivity and reduce the cost
of health impairment within the industry.
This willingness to act comes at a time when health is of increased focus for rail companies because:
• The regulator has formally drawn attention to regulatory failings within organisational management.
• The railway value for money study recognised the high industry cost in this area.
• Franchising and the Network Rail Final Determination now include health and wellbeing requirements.
The Government itself has recognised that employee health and wellbeing will affect the continuing competitiveness of UK industry because:
• An ageing workforce and changes in its composition will increase costs of employee management.
• Rising costs of chronic disease and ill-health shall alter current arrangements for health management.
• Low engagement rates of UK employees within their workplaces creates a productivity deficit.
Through collaboration GB rail companies can collectively gain control of some important
health and wellbeing figures
1. Most importantly, HLOS figures put the number of people working on behalf of GB railway at approximately 120,000 people.
The collaborative vision for the roadmap is: ‘GB railway is an industry where everyone takes responsibility for health and wellbeing and benefits from it’. If the key
figures below can be controlled and at the same time the vision be met then the lives of many railway people can be positively affected.
2. The estimated cost to the rail industry of direct and indirect sickness absence is thought to be £316m per annum.
We wish to understand this figure more fully and to improve it for industry stakeholders.
3. The estimated costs of presenteeism is thought to be £474m per annum.
This figure would be a significant cost to industry in addition to sickness absence. We wish to fully understand the usefulness of this figure, as it is open to question,
and if appropriate how to manipulate it to create improvements for industry.
4. Total spend on Occupational Health (OH) and wellness programmes is evaluated to average out at £201 per person per annum.
As with the other figures there may be a wide range between industry organisations for this figure but we are aware that the majority of the spending is on reactive
activities. With better understanding we wish to know how well the money is spent and where possible create initiatives to spend it better.
5. Lost Time Rate (LTR) across the rail sector is approximately 3.9%. This figure varies markedly amongst different types of role within an organisation.
We wish to improve the reliability of this figure and given a better understanding of absence and presenteeism understand by how much it could be improved.
6. An LTR reduction of just 0.4% would deliver savings in sickness absence costs alone of £32m per annum.
Collaborative action can be facilitated by the railway health and wellbeing roadmap
Following agreement from the RSSB board and the arrangement of industry oversight, the following will be delivered through the roadmap:
• A Health and Wellbeing policy group with senior cross-industry representation will be set up to oversee and promote the work recognised within the roadmap.
• RSSB will take on day to day support of the roadmap and associated groups.
• Project tasks will be picked up by the RSSB Health and Wellbeing project and through the R&D health research topic.
• Other railway sector groups and rail companies will take on tasks as appropriate to assist their membership and organisational strategies
• Trade unions and representatives of railway people will be fully involved.
• Industry professionals will be asked supply experience and knowledge through involvement in steering groups, conferences and identification of good practices.
• Key priority tasks have been identified and have a budget for development.
• The business case for health and wellbeing activities will be continuously maintained, developed and reviewed to guide project development and ensure industry
commitment.
What can railway companies do to become involved?
The roadmap will involve a collaborative effort between a number of companies with a mix of effort and reward. Rail companies and their leaders can become involved
by:
1. Acting as a champion for health and wellbeing whilst operating and improving their business in a way that minimises the negative impacts and maximises the benefits of working in the railway environment.
2. Setting up health and wellbeing programmes and policy where required; looking to meet basic legal requirements, to be an employer of choice and where practical
to align to roadmap initiatives to increase impact and reduce cost.
3. Recognising the cross-industry Health and Wellbeing Policy Group and providing support and cooperation as needed.
4. Seeking to drive improvement in the management of health as well as safety risks within the company and across the industry.
5. Supporting RSSB’s involvement in facilitating actions from the roadmap.
6. Allowing company staff to participate on steering groups, seminars, R&D projects and conferences.
7. Being willing to share good company practices and improve the reliability of health data internally and across the industry.
Railway Health and Wellbeing Roadmap
Strategic
Theme
Industry
Leadership
Rail leaders promote that rail
is a good place to work and
invest
Clinical
Knowledge
2014/2015
Set up policy group
Industry can demonstrate
control over health
Employee
Engagement
Employees believe the
industry is a place where
they can thrive
Behavioural
Change
Alongside societal aims we
contribute to the healthier
lives of people
CP6
2018
Develop a cross industry health and wellbeing charter
Engage board level champions
Infuence Policy
Ongoing communication and engagement agenda
Review and agree a set of voluntary medical stds
ess case
y and busin
g
e
t
ra
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i
Rehabilitat
where everyone takes
responsibility for Health
and Wellbeing and
benefits from it
Risk based guidance for rail organisations
rket
s of health ma
Stimulate and reduce cost
rategy
Develop wellbeing st
We understand how to keep
more people in work
Reporting and
Monitoring
CP5
2016/2017
Our
Vision
GB railway is an industry
ecifcation
Cross industry health data system sp
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ustry sys
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Shift focus from re
• Acollaborativeapproach
• Sharebestpractice
• Keepitsimple
• Evidencebaseddecisionmaking
• Onesizedoesnotfitall
• Costeffective
Ownership - Through stakeholder ownership and input the roadmap should continually evolve toward industry needs.
Industry Leadership Roadmap Detail
CP5
Industry
Leadership
2014/2015
CP6
2016/17
2018
Key
Bold and underlined words are
top priorities
CBA – Cost Benefit Analysis
CP – Control Period
NSARE – National Skills
Academy for Railway
Engineering
To create health change within the rail industry those operating at the highest levels of the railway system hierarchy need to:
• Show leadership direction toward a shared vision for health management
• Raise the profile and priority placed on health and wellbeing management
• Engage with those that can create change within industry
Set up policy group
Engage board level
champions
• Policy group has remit to drive
collaborative industry action
• Support organisational use of proactive
health policies and strategies
• Hold health and wellbeing
conference
• Develop a voluntary organisational
health and wellbeing charter /
standards and consult with industry
• Provide oversight for implementation &
monitoring
• Help to foster health links to other
industries
• Re-evaluate health and wellbeing
roadmap for next CP
The conference facilitates and
promotes action
Working alongside other
programmes targets action
• Support industry response to
franchising
• Influence next control period planning
Contractual requirements
and programmes drive future
activities
• Promote cross industry collaboration
and support for organisational policies
and programmes
• Work alongside organisational health
and wellbeing programmes (NR, TOCs,
ORR, RSSB …Others)
Influence policy
• Assist RTS whole system approach to
the rail way by influencing the people
section. Incl assisting NSARE
Success measures and indicators
•
•
•
•
Board level champions facilitate
speed and quality of actions
CBA justifies ongoing work
• Develop CBA for health and
wellbeing
Develop a cross
industry health and
wellbeing charter
Ongoing
communication and
engagement agenda
A policy group is needed to
carry out tasks in this section
and provide oversight to all
other sections
• Establish a Health policy group with
governance
• Identify and engage industry board
level champions &develop an executive
health and wellbeing information pack
Important links
Survey of employer’s attitudes towards health and wellbeing at work
Increases in perception of rail industry as a good place to work – get independent review from business community
Positive movement in the cost of impaired health within the rail industry – industry survey
Evidence of health and wellbeing provision within rail industry strategies
• NR OH programme ‘Everyone fit for the
future’ CP6
Voluntary charter/ standards
create a common level of
working & drive other tasks
identified therein
• ORR Health Programme CP6
Outcome
Rail leaders promote that rail is a
good place to work and invest
Clinical Knowledge Roadmap Detail
CP5
Clinical
Knowledge
2014/2015
2016/17
CP6
Key
Bold and underlined words are
top priorities
OH – Occupational Health
NICE – National Institute for
Health & Care Excellence
CBA – Cost Benefit Analysis
2018
To adequately understand how the health industry relates to and integrates with the railway industry there is a need for senior clinical leadership within rail. This clinical leadership should advise and provide
direction for the clinical development of industry’s health capabilities but also be aware of the role of the organisation in the management of health. Clinical leadership can inform industry-wide as well as
individual practice enhancing all aspects of health and wellbeing management.
Review and agree
set of voluntary
medical standards
• A clinical leadership sub group
is developed from the Health and
Wellbeing Leadership group
• Strategy for clinical effectiveness
considered
• Develop a set of voluntary medical
standards for effects of health on
work and seek adoption within
industry
A Clinical Leadership group
is needed to lead other tasks
within this section and inform
other groups
Voluntary medical standards
informs employee conditions
and cost effectiveness
• Promote effects of work on health stds/
guidance and inform rail organisations
Voluntary standards based
on effects of work on health
informs risk activities and
behavioural changes
• Research approaches to medical
standards
Risk based
guidance for rail
organisations
• Best practice review within and outside
of industry
• Develop voluntary guidance/
standards based upon effects of
work on health
Develop a wellbeing
strategy
Stimulate and
reduce costs in the
health market
Important links
• Plans developed for obesity
management and the ageing workforce
• Access for all to quality OH services
• Develop indicators for individual
health risks
• Research cognitive decline within the
workforce
• Railway knowledge for practitioners
• OH Guidance for knowledgeable
customer
• Identify key requirements for
successfully engaging a third party
health provider
Rehabilitation
strategy and
business case
Success measures and indicators
• No. of incidents where OH clinical leadership leads to better industry management – cost savings identified
• Increased support for OH eg. voluntary health standards, no of providers, no of professionals – No. of OH Provisions
• Measures in place for the changing demographics of the workforce
• Review introduction of a more uniform
and/ or less complex range of medical
standards which would cover the whole
railway industry
• Recognise NICE guidance and CBA’s for
rehabilitation within rail
Health risk indicators informs
activities that drive individual
behavioural changes
• Opening up the accreditation scheme
• Provision of clinics facilities available
to rent in railway centres by landlords
such as Network Rail, as occurs with
other railway related services
Uniform medical standards
across mainline, underground
and heritage increase the
effectiveness of providers
working in each sector
• Look to stimulate market with
relevant health professionals eg
Physiotherapists
Rehabilitation specialists cut
costs of health issues and
reduces absence issues
• Increase use of new health
technologies / tools in rail where there
is a case to do so
Outcome
We understand how to keep
more people in work
Reporting And Monitoring Roadmap Detail
Reporting
and
Monitoring
CP5
2014/2015
2016/17
CP6
Key
Bold and underlined words are
top priorities
CBA – Cost Benefit Analysis
2018
Health data collection is needed in order to create cases and make reasoned decisions to drive change within the industry. Data collection needs to be coordinated in order to compare information from many
different sources. Whether for use in the clinical or managerial setting the desired outputs from any data collected should be understood during the planning stage for collection.
Short term data
solution
Cross industry
system
specification
• Industry agreement to bulk upload into
SMIS
Short term data collection
speeds the capability to analyse
data
• RSSB begin analysis of key health
risks
• Rail company’s bulk upload of key (top
5/10) health risks (yearly)
• Develop requirements from information
collected by Initial investigatory work
Good system specification
enables better development of
the system
• Develop a roles and responsibility
matrix
The system and its
arrangements enable the
delivery of good data based
information
• Development of a data system
Set up industry
system
Analysis and
intelligence
• Development of health data causal
classification and data collection
• Rail companies set up internal system
to link to cross industry data
• Development of suitable proactive
metrics and benchmarking facilities
• Analyse if employees are healthier
for longer
• Models are developed to analyse
health data
• Industry seeks possible uses of Health
and wellbeing monitoring technology
• Shift funding from reaction to
prevention
Act on findings
Important links
Analysis of data helps
develop better CBAs and
improves decision making for
development of health risk
controls
• Industry can demonstrate control over
health
CBAs improve decision making
for further resource investment
• Publishing health data
• Improved data used for better CBAs
• Increased specialist resources in
industry if justified by data
Success measures and indicators
• A cross industry data collection system is established within industry
• Increased level of understanding of industry health risk management – Reasons for absence / work-related ill health / RIDDOR / individual health risk indicators
• No. of railway organisations publicly publishing health data (e.g. to shareholders)
Outcome
Industry can demonstrate control over health
Employee Engagement Roadmap Detail
Employee
Engagement
CP5
2014/2015
2016/17
CP6
Key
Bold and underlined words are
top priorities
2018
Employee engagement is thought to be generally low within the UK and a potential barrier to growth in the economy. A motivated an employee is willing to give their best to their job. It shows how well motivated,
energised and inspired they are to ‘go the extra mile’. Through active engagement industry productivity can be enhanced to improve successful outcomes for all. “This is about how we create the conditions in
which employees offer more of their capability and potential.” – David Macleod – author of UK Government’s ‘Engage For Success’ report.
Evaluate effects of
absenteeism and
presenteesim on
rail
Increase employee
say in health
management
Use specialists to
review common rail
environments
Important links
• Seek to understand the causes of
absenteeism
• Seek to manage the causes of
absenteeism
• Seek to understand the causes of
presenteeism
• Seek to manage the causes of
presenteeism
• Unions/ Safety Reps and Organisations
form a sub group with employees to
increase employee say in health
• Work/life balance issues are reviewed
• Employ Hygienists, ergonomists &
other specialists to review common
rail environments for health hazards
• Promote stress management within the
workplace
• Where possible seek to improve
facilities used by railway employees
Professional understanding of
common risks can be spread
widely and used for data matrix
• Develop knowledge around job design
• Review role of rest and recovery in
health management
Better job design in key to a
healthier and more productive
work environment
Research better job
design (incl. Stress)
Support employee
engagement
initiatives
• Seek to increase length of service
levels and reduce/maintain death in
service figures
Understanding the causes of
absenteeism and presenteeism
can support the engagement of
employees
• Work to improve health surveillance
response from employees
Employee engagement can be
a significant enabler to other
projects
• A survey shows employees recognise
work is good for health
• Improve job roles so they do not
adversely affect health
• Develop understanding of fatigue / shift
patterns
• Measure employee ‘burnout’
and fatigue related safety issues
• Agree industry strategy for Engagement
• Review employee resilience activities
• Increase sophistication of Engagement
surveys
• Increases to productivity related to
engagement scores
Linking health and wellbeing to
engagement activities makes
them sustainable
• Link to work of engage for success
• Link engagement and health and
wellbeing
Success measures and indicators
• Number of people losing work due to ill health / no of people in rehabilitation schemes / roles provided for those with mental health issues.
• Employee engagement scores improve – organisational anecdote
• Increases in productivity – organisational anecdote
Outcome
Employees believe the industry is a place
where they can thrive
Behavioural Change Roadmap Detail
Behavioural
Change
CP5
2014/2015
2016/17
CP6
Key
Bold and underlined words are
top priorities
RTS – Rail Technical Strategy
2018
Health data collection is needed in order to create cases and make reasoned decisions to drive change within the industry. Data collection needs to be coordinated in order to compare information from many
different sources. Whether for use in the clinical or managerial setting the desired outputs from any data collected should be understood during the planning stage for collection.
Increase provision
of health training
via supply of/links
to training materials
• Define and recognise line manager role
in health.
• Develop or recommend training
materials
• Industry educational and
competence requirements are
mapped
• Promote widespread health training
Important links
Cross industry agreement
on the educational and
competence requirements
will allow for a collaborative
approach to improvement
• Develop a competence framework
• Promote use of proactive health
management policies
Shift focus
from reactive to
proactive health
management
• Promote use of individual health risk
indicators
• Improved management of individual
health hazards through focus
• Justify increased use of occupational
Health and Wellbeing expertise
Tools for health risk assessment
and surveillance can make it
easier to achieve to meet legal
requirements in this area
for effects of work on health issues
groups
• Tools developed to improve
understanding of risk assessment
and surveillance
Promote employees
role in personal
health & wellbeing
management
Undertake
initiatives to
support health in
the supply chain
• Promotion of health activities to
employees
• Employees develop work / life plans
• Nudging activities in key areas are
developed
Work relies on health risks
indicators being developed
Healthier workers should carry
fewer health risks
• Undertake work to understand the
context of health up and down
the Supply Chain and consider
improvement incentives
• Influence design of technology and
roles with people in mind
• Innovation of new equipment that can
improve health
Getting the supply chain right
can prevent difficult health
issues entering the railway
system
• Review management of health into
equipment that enters into the rail
system
• Guidance developed recognising:
Transient employees, health conditions
and risks passed on to those lower
down the supply chain.
• Individual key health risk indicators are
used by employees
• Understand & influence the railway
supply chain system
Success measures and indicators
• No. of health courses and trained employees within the industry
• Survey use of health surveillance schemes within industry
• Survey provision and context of health and wellbeing initiatives (what is available, reactive/proactive, active or passive role of org (e.g. contract out) – create
specific category for the supply chain including RTS impact
Outcome
Alongside societal aims we contribute to
the healthier lives of people
Appendix: Definitions used to guide the development of the roadmap
These definitions were used to help guide the workshop attendees on the interpretations used for this work.
Occupational Health
Contemporary thinking and the ORR recognise that health has three fundamental elements.
• The effect of work on health (eg airborne contaminants, asbestos, musculoskeletal disorders, mental health)
• Fitness for work (eg safety critical tasks, drugs and alcohol testing, health assessments)
• General wellbeing (eg obesity, smoking, sickness absence management, rehabilitation)
Industry consensus, including the Industry Safety Meeting (ISM), now supports rail employers actively embracing these three elements.
Wellbeing
The three components of employee wellbeing, taken from Wellbeing, Productivity and Happiness at Work (Ivan Robertson and Cary Cooper, 2011), are said to be:
1. Psychological wellbeing – for example, the ability to handle the stresses of everyday life and maintain a positive attitude and sense of purpose
2. Physical wellbeing – for example, the amount of exercise, sleeping habits, alcohol
3. Social wellbeing – for example, a positive and supportive social network
Engagement
Employee engagement is a measure of how motivated an employee is to give their best to their job. It shows how well motivated, energised and inspired they are to ‘go
the extra mile’.
Engagement is uniformly measured via staff surveys and typically asks questions about pride in their company, would they recommend as a great place to work, belief
in company vision and goals, a willingness to go beyond their job requirements and whether they are considering leaving at the present time.
Companies with high levels of employee engagement experience greater profitability, reduced absence and greater levels of employee wellbeing, amongst many other
benefits.
See http://www.engageforsuccess.org/ for more information.
Employee engagement should not be confused with how we communicate and interact with our people.
Presenteeism
The term presenteeism is often interpreted in different ways. Robertson and Cooper (2011) suggest three attributes to the term:
1. Attending work when unwell
2. Putting in long hours but not working all of the time (often known as ‘face time’)
3. Working at a reduced level because of distractions (for example, going online)
The workshops identified an additional attribute:
People who have a health risk factor that inhibits their ability to do their job (for example, obesity and manual work).
The purpose of the roadmap is to encourage collaborative action in order to achieve a
common vision for health and wellbeing improvement within the GB railway industry.
The roadmap should be updated regularly in order to make it increasingly relevant to the
common goals of those working with it.
It is important that those with ideas for change and adaptation of the roadmap feedback
comments so that they can be considered at the next update.
Please provide comments about the railway health and
wellbeing roadmap to: whwp@rssb.co.uk