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Small businesses are often thought of as something of a no-go area for occupational health provision and support - not enough cash, not enough capacity, not enough interest or engagement from owners, too difficult to reach all round. But a recent conference suggested this may not in fact be the case. Nie Patón listened in.
It has long been recognised that small businesses are an especially tough nut for occupational health to crack.
The capacity constraints the profession is working under and the fact small businesses, too, may often not have the capacity (or budget) to engage with professional workplace health interventions means it can be all too easy for OH - whether it means to or not - to write off small businesses when it comes offering access to workplace health interventions, advice and support.
But, as Sonali Parekh, head of policy at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), argued at a conference earlier this year, there is often in fact not only demand for greater workplace health support among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but potentially also an appetite for accessing occupational health expertise.
Parekh was speaking at a Westminster Business Forum Disability in the Workplace conference on removing barriers in the workplace for people with disabilities.
The conference took place pre-lockdown but, nevertheless, some of its messages and reflections remain relevant even as we move into what is likely to be a challenging, postpandemic new normal in the context of the workplace.
Parekh highlighted research carried out by the FSB among its membership that showed more than three-quarters (78%) of smaller businesses now employ at least one person aged above 50, and 30% employ at least one person above the age of 65. Some 30% employed at least one individual with a disability or a mental health condition.
More than two-thirds (69%) offered flexible working in some shape or form to all employees, with 89% offering it to all or some staff. Very interestingly, this percentage rises for those smaller businesses that employ someone with a disability, with 80% of those smaller businesses offering flexible working...