Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 10;22(1):90.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph22010090.

Workplace Health and Wellbeing in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs): A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Provision and Support Uptake

Nigel Lloyd  1 , Nigel Smeeton  2 , Imogen Freethy  1 , Julia Jones  2 , Wendy Wills  2 , Abi Dennington-Price  1 , John Jackson  1 , Katherine Brown  1
Affiliations

Workplace Health and Wellbeing in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs): A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Provision and Support Uptake

Nigel Lloyd et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Today's challenging times highlight the need for workplaces to support employee wellbeing. Workplaces can offer a means to improve employee wellbeing and promote health initiatives. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are less likely than larger organizations to engage with workplace wellbeing initiatives or offer wellbeing provision. This study, conducted in an urban area in central England, explores SME engagement with local government workplace wellbeing provision, and barriers and facilitators to SME engagement, SME implementation of wellbeing provision, and employee uptake. A mixed-methods design was used. Quantitative data were collected via a survey of 103 SMEs and qualitative data from three focus groups with stakeholders involved in promoting SME engagement with wellbeing support (n = 9) and 16 in-depth interviews with SME representatives (n = 8) and employees (n = 8). Quantitative data were analyzed using the chi-squared, Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney U tests, and multivariable logistic regression. Qualitative data were analyzed using framework analysis. Findings highlighted several interrelated factors acting as barriers and facilitators to SME engagement with wellbeing initiatives, SME-provided wellbeing provision, and employee uptake. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, public health teams, and SME leaders on improving provision of and engagement with wellbeing programs. Trust, awareness, knowledge, and communication are highlighted as important prerequisites of optimal provision and engagement.

Keywords: SME; barriers and facilitators; health and wellbeing; health and wellbeing support; mixed method; public health; small and medium sized enterprises; workplace health promotion; workplace wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Reasons for not accessing the four key wellbeing support services available locally.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Types of workplace health and wellbeing provision available to employees via their SMEs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Barriers and facilitators to SME engagement with workplace wellbeing support, SME workplace wellbeing provision for employees, and employee uptake of employer-provided provision.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Office for National Statistics Time Use in the UK: March 2023. [(accessed on 12 November 2024)];2023 Available online: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhousehold....
    1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Hours Per Day Spent in Selected Activities on Days Worked by Employment Status and Sex. [(accessed on 19 November 2024)]; Available online: https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/activity-by-work.htm.
    1. Danna K., Griffin R.W. Health and Well-Being in the Workplace: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature. J. Manag. 1999;25:357–383. doi: 10.1177/014920639902500305. - DOI
    1. Guest D.E. Human Resource Management and Employee Well-Being: Towards A New Analytic Framework. Blackwell Publisher; Hoboken, NJ, USA: 2017. - DOI
    1. Sorensen G., Dennerlein J.T., Peters S.E., Sabbath E.L., Kelly E.L., Wagner G.R. The future of research on work, safety, health and wellbeing: A guiding conceptual framework. Soc. Sci. Med. 2021;269:113593. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113593. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources