Make UK backs research to tackle wellbeing
The UK Government is urged to implement recommendations around stress in the manufacturing industry.
The Mayfield Review is an independent review among senior decision-makers and employees across manufacturing.
Trade body Make UK is backing the research, describing Britain’s manufacturers as ‘world leaders in tackling overall health and safety [that] need to step up efforts to address the specific issues of psychological health such as wellbeing and stress in the workplace’.
Make UK indicates the research from OnePoll contains a strong emphasis on tackling risks associated with issues such as manual handling and materials and substances, yet suggests less emphasis on companies addressing psychological health.
It suggests a gap between leaders’ perceptions and experience on the ground, where the reality seems to be lower morale, increased absence and lower productivity.
While it is indicates there are policies, procedures and risk assessments in place, many employees are reporting that these are not consistently understood or experienced.
Where risk assessments are carried out, a picture appears to be emerging where not everyone sees implementation and there is a perceived lack of awareness by employees of what wellbeing policies include.
A third of companies in the study also report they don’t provide an Employee Assistance Programme. At this point, statutory sick pay comes in from day one, and Make UK suggests employers may find the costs of not offering more of these types of programmes comes at greater cost than employees being off sick.
Recent data reported by Make UK suggests 1.9mln people suffering from work-related ill health in 2024/25, an increase of 200,000 from the previous year that appears to be because of stress, depression and anxiety.
Make UK are calling for the recommendations of the Mayfield Review to be adopted in full.
The recommendations it highlights are:
- Make the Health Working lifecycle an accredited standard that employers can measure themselves against.
- Launch a range of funding options to support tangible wellbeing initiatives
- Promote a joined-up approach between employers, government and the health service.
The full State of Wellbeing in 2026 survey can be found here
Commenting, Chris Newson, Director of Environment, Health & Safety at Make UK, says, ‘The number of fatalities in UK workplaces has fallen, consistently fallen, establishing the UK as a global leader in workplace health and safety. This is a significant and hard-won achievement.
‘However, while fatalities remain an important indicator, an over-reliance on them can risk masking wider issues. The data suggests that trends in wellbeing and long-term ill health are worsening with the size of the problem growing, not shrinking. This demands a more rounded approach from companies to workforce health.’
According to the survey, 72% of senior decision-makers say their board is taking a proactive approach to health issues with 64% saying their board is also leading the way on health issues overall. The shopfloor presents 67% seeing this proactive approach and 48% saying their board is leading the way in health issues overall.
Senior decision makers in 91% of companies claim to have risk assessments for manual handling and 80% on chemicals and substances. But report 60% for wellbeing and 48% for stress.
