Social prescribing – An alternative way to support employees in returning to work

The government is encouraging employers to do social prescribing as a way of enabling their long-term sick employees back to work. 

The term social prescribing relates to involvement with other people in your community. It can involve coffee with a neighbour, volunteering and group hobbies or activities. Crucially it makes you feel good!

The concept is being used for return to work support because it can help reduce social isolation as well as making a long-term sick employee feel good. Social isolation and loneliness can increase during periods of long-term sickness. Because social prescribing builds social contact it helps reduce the sense of isolation. Medical evidence also shows that loneliness and social isolation can have negative health impacts. So social prescribing helps to reduce both the sense of isolation and the wider health impacts on long-term sick employees.

The awareness and use of social prescribing is growing. GPs have been social prescribing since 2020 and the government’s forthcoming WorkWell scheme (being launched in England) aims to help around 59,000 people with disabilities and health conditions to access social prescribers such as community groups, running clubs and life coaches.

How can employers utilise social prescribing?

• Understand the needs and traits of your employees. Someone with a more extrovert personality might prefer a type of prescribing which would trigger a stress reaction in your more introverted employees. Similarly, an employee with no history of exercise may not appreciate or get value from being signposted to a running group.

• Create a bank of social prescribing options that you can sign post to employees.

• The most popular social prescribing option amongst employees themselves is volunteering. Consider how you can enable employees to access volunteering though time allocation and providing resources. Build relationships with local organisations that are seeking volunteer support. 

• Consider employee representative groups and internal networks to bring cross sections of employees together to interact. These can meet in person or virtually so your home worker / hybrid workers are not excluded. 

• In-house clubs and societies, especially ones that extend to external activities, are important options. For example, here at SSG we have a walking group who meet monthly either after work or at weekends.

• Consider ways to fully enable social prescribing to succeed. For example, consider granting employees the flexibility within their day to connect with their local community whether that be singing in a choir, crafts or fitness.