Framework for strengthening wellbeing at work

Workplace wellbeing has grown rapidly over the last decade. More employers recognise the links between work, mental health, performance and workforce sustainability. This has led to wellbeing responsibilities expanding across health and safety, occupational health, HR and specialist roles. However, this growth has outpaced any shared understanding of what effective practice involves. In focus groups conducted in 2024, practitioners frequently reported uncertainty about what “good practice” looks like, how to build credibility, and how to influence organisational decision making.

Employers shared facing parallel challenges: difficulty recruiting the right capability, governing wellbeing activity, and moving beyond reactive initiatives.

The challenges faced by professionals and employers were recognised by the Affinity Health at Work Research Consortium, who chose the creation of a professional framework. To address the current gaps, Affinity Health at Work led a rigorous, multidisciplinary research process. This was supported by IOSH, the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), CIPD and hundreds of practitioners, employers and academics.

The resulting Professional Framework for Workplace Wellbeing is an evidence-based framework. It defines competent wellbeing practice across 45 areas of knowledge, skills and professional factors, recognising the diversity of professional backgrounds and levels of seniority. It provides the first shared foundation for clarifying expectations, strengthening professional identity and supporting clearer pathways into and through wellbeing roles. A research report detailing the background, research stages and findings as well as the detailed version of the framework and implications will be published on 18 March.

Impact on workplace wellbeing

For practitioners from all backgrounds, the framework provides clarity on the knowledge, skills and capabilities that underpin effective practice. It will help practitioners understand what “good” looks like, build their confidence, strengthen professional identity and plan their development and progression. For health and safety professionals, the framework provides a clearer articulation of how psychosocial risk management, work design and organisational culture form part of workplace wellbeing practice. 

For organisations, the framework offers something that has often been missing – a consistent  benchmark for workplace wellbeing practice. Employers can use it to design wellbeing roles and responsibilities, recruit the right expertise, build capability within teams and strengthen governance around wellbeing.

But perhaps the most important shift is how the framework reframes wellbeing practice as a strategic organisational capability grounded in prevention, psychosocial risk management, behaviour change, evidence and evaluation – rather than a collection of initiatives or awareness activities. This shift has the potential to transform and strengthen the impact of wellbeing across organisations.

What does this mean for wellbeing at work?

Ultimately, our hope is that this framework helps wellbeing move from something people and organisations do to something they are genuinely capable of delivering well – because the right skills, knowledge and professional standards are in place.

At Affinity, our mission is to improve the working lives of all. By equipping wellbeing professionals from all backgrounds with the clarity and confidence they need, we believe this framework can play a meaningful role in achieving that.

Using the framework

The framework will officially launch on 18 March through a launch webinar (you can sign up to attend the webinar) and the research report. Most importantly, it will be freely available for organisations and practitioners to access. 

To help professionals apply the framework to their practice, Affinity have developed a self-assessment profiling tool, also due to launch on 18 March. This tool will allow practitioners to map their current knowledge and practice against the framework and identify where they feel confident and where further development may be beneficial.

We are also working closely with professional bodies such as IOSH and SOM as well as wellbeing qualification providers to explore how the framework can support professional standards and the development of specific training pathways. In addition, we are developing wellbeing specific training and development opportunities aligned with the framework.

You can access the free report and stay up to date with information on upcoming training opportunities.