New performance management system to improve workforce health and wellbeing
An unhealthy workforce is less productive and engaged. In addition, the cost of impaired health in the rail industry is estimated at £1.3bn (2024).
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) was the first to identify a structural gap in occupational health and wellbeing (H&W) management in rail. The gap has become more evident due to:
- rapidly changing national and global contexts, such as health crises and the COVID-19 pandemic
- emerging social and ethical obligations faced by employers in evolving work environments.
The ORR challenged the industry to use more quantitative metrics to manage occupational (H&W). Doing so would achieve greater transparency and accountability.
RSSB has worked with the ORR and 21 participating rail companies to develop a prototype health and wellbeing performance management system.
The system includes three key components:
- a measurement system—a way to measure, report, and monitor health and wellbeing data
- a management system—a way to govern, benchmark, share best practice, and incentivise stakeholders
- a stakeholder system—the leadership, knowledge, and skills to set up and operate the management system.
The system was iterated based on feedback from participants and user acceptance testing.
The prototype shows that capturing consistent data, with the right metrics, supports resource allocation and decision-making, resulting in improved workforce health and wellbeing.
Once the management system is implemented, these industry-wide benefits will be amplified. Implementation is currently under way, with the prototype being developed into Health and Wellbeing Data Hub.
This project, and industry take-up, represents significant progress in delivering both the Rail Health and Safety Strategy and the Rail Technical Strategy.