Call for employers to promote young people's health

The Young People in the Workplace pledge is part of the Department of Health’s (DH) “responsibility deal”, which aims to use businesses and other influential organisations to improve public health.

Employers that sign up to the pledge will agree to “promote the importance of exercise, eating well, and good mental health” to young workers starting out in their first job. ?

They will also promise to help young people who drink “to do so sensibly”, and support those that smoke to kick the habit, potentially by offering stop smoking sessions at work.

The pledge urges employers to develop workplace induction programmes specifically tailored for young people, and to consider appointing a mentor to support young people through the first few months of their employment.

Employers that do sign up will be expected to come up with pledge delivery plans, explaining what steps they intend to take to support young people’s health and wellbeing. They will then be asked to report on their progress by the end of April each year. 

The DH is meanwhile funding Mental Health First Aid England to offer training to professionals that work with 11- to 18-year-olds, to help boost the mental health of young people who are preparing to enter the workplace.

Carol Black, chair of the government’s Health at Work Network, said: “Starting your first job is daunting for almost everyone and is stressful for many. It is a time when life changes, with new daily routines, new lifestyles and habits that can last, affecting health and wellbeing for years ahead.

“So it’s important that young people, still at an impressionable age, are encouraged and supported in many ways, and especially to eat well, take regular physical activity, drink sensibly, avoid or stop smoking and to look after their mental health.

“The workplace offers us a major opportunity to make sure this happens, at every age but especially for the young.

Poppy Jaman, chief executive of Mental Health First Aid England, added: “This programme is a stepping-stone towards creating a mentally healthy young population.”