Healthy Working Life Employer Toolkit
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) approached Assembly at a time of growing workforce and economic pressure across the region, to help employers understand how to better recruit, retain and support people with additional health needs.
Long-term sickness currently accounts for 26.3% of economic inactivity across West Yorkshire with 64% reporting that poor workforce health is negatively impacting organisational performance. Assembly developed an immersive and accessible toolkit of digestible digital and interactive resources featuring representation from across the region. This has resulted in increased employer confidence, improved understanding and high levels of stakeholder engagement.
Employers were struggling to understand and implement complex guidance around workplace wellbeing, neurodiversity and inclusive employment into practical day-to-day action. Existing support was often fragmented, overly technical and difficult for employers, particularly SMEs, to apply confidently.
WYCA needed a solution that could:
Simplify complex guidance
Apply specifically to people and SME’s in the West Yorkshire region
Drive practical implementation and help to overcome barriers
Engage all types of employers
Be easily accessible and available ‘on-demand’
An in-depth research programme consisted of detailed desktop reviews of current toolkits, discussions with expert agencies and organisations and employer focus groups. This robust approach removed potential duplication, allowed for signposting to existing materials and guided the development of the WYCA deliverables, by implementing best practice.
Insight
The toolkit was intentionally structured around eight modular core themes reflecting real employer needs.To maximise engagement, we created a multi-channel learning experience empowering organisations to understand the topic area and implement bite-size resources enabling them to become an inclusive employer.
We engaged employers from across the region to actively contribute throughout the project ensuring that the programme was truly representative of the West Yorkshire region. This included:
Engagement sessions with SMEs shaping early direction to ensure relevance & buy-in
Consultation workshops for draft resource testing
Action
Online portal, explainer animations and template resources
The basis of the toolkit sits online as series of web page modules, structured to ensure a clear and accessible user experience.
Each theme was supported with an explainer animation to provide a succinct top-level engagement tool, as well as template and guidance resources to help employers translate learning into practical implementation.
From ideation to final delivery, inclusivity sat at the heart of the toolkit creation. The language and design choices were tailored around accessibility, which was carried through to material output, ensuring all resources & digital materials adhered to WCAG 2.2 benchmarks.
Podcast series
A fundamental element of our programme was the management and production of a podcast series – highlighting the challenges, opportunities and practical advice to becoming an inclusive employer through the eyes of the organisation, subject experts and employees.
Employers, employees, experts and host were sourced to ensure vibrancy and relevance throughout the series. Guidance, support, training and mentoring were provided to all individuals through our creative teams, ensuring that topics were understood and clear. A framework for delivery was established and a bespoke ‘treatment’ applied for each topic area.
Executed through an assembled programme team, consisting of media, content and project management specialists, end deliverables included full-length video podcast episodes, social media shorts and chapter cuts.
The toolkit has created a single, trusted resource to improve confidence, accessibility and action around inclusive employment.
Early indicators include:
Strong employer and stakeholder engagement during launch
Positive feedback on clarity, usability and practical relevance
Improved accessibility of complex topics, including neurodiversity and workplace wellbeing
Increased employer confidence
Impact
“What’s stood out most for me is how approachable and friendly the team is. EE have built strong relationships with businesses, which have helped create honest conversations and meaningful engagement at different stages of the delivery process. The relationship with our team has also made delivering this project not only easier but genuinely enjoyable.
By supporting more inclusive approaches, the toolkit and wider business engagement are helping organisations in the region to tap into a broader talent pool, strengthening businesses, individuals, and the wider regional economy.”
Heather Nicholson
Business Engagement & Relationship Officer
West Yorkshire Combined Authority