Free occupational health training for small businesses
Thousands of people at risk of dropping out of work will be given more support to stay in their jobs thanks to new Government-funded occupational health training for 5,000 line managers working in small businesses.
- Occupational health training will be funded by Government for line managers in small businesses across England between January and March 2026.
- Will help equip SMEs to support employee health and recruit and retain skilled staff - and boost productivity.
- Part of Government’s Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth by creating an accessible labour market.
Thousands of people at risk of dropping out of work will be given more support to stay in their jobs thanks to new Government-funded occupational health training for 5,000 line managers working in small businesses.
The free training funded by the Department for Work and Pensions comes as part of the Government’s drive to tackle workplace sickness and will be made available to small and medium sized businesses across England, helping them to better support staff and identify health-related issues early.
It will help tackle the inherited issue of more than 2.8 million people signed off long-term sick – one of the highest rates in the G7 – while the Keep Britain Working Review found 800,000 more working-age adults are out of work due to sickness than in 2019.
The cost of ill-health to small businesses is stark, as replacing an employee lost to ill-health costs over £11,000, while every sickness absence day costs businesses around £120 in lost profit.
The free training - led by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) - will give line managers the practical skills they need to recognise early signs that someone they’re managing needs help, so they can have supportive conversations about health and workplace adjustments. Persistent fatigue, behaviour changes, and increased absence will be some of the signs managers will be trained to spot and step in early to support people, so they have better ways forward to continue in work.
Minister for Employment Dame Diana Johnson said:
"Too often, small businesses lose skilled staff to health issues without the tools to support them - and that doesn’t help anyone.
This free training changes that. It gives line managers the confidence to have the right conversations and make the adjustments that could help keep people in work.
When small businesses support their staff to stay at work healthy, everyone wins - employees, businesses, and our economy."
When small businesses support their staff to stay at work healthy, everyone wins - employees, businesses, and our economy.
