7OS06 AC2.4 and AC3.2 CIPD Well-Being at Work

7OS06 AC2.4 and AC3.2 CIPD Well-Being at Work

7OS06 AC2.4 and AC3.2 CIPD Well-Being at Work Guide is not about repeating textbook definitions. CIPD, at its core, deals with situations that actually happen in workplaces, the kind that sometimes feel too specific. That’s why it leans heavily on what works in practice, without ignoring the value of underpinning theory. Our examples come from our own case study so you get context that feels real. This walkthrough is meant as a reference, not the final word, and it should be applied with discretion, especially if you’re writing an academic paper. Think of it as someone pointing you towards possible ways of approaching each question. It’s not an answer sheet, but rather a thought-starter for your own work.

Disclaimer
We have provided an elaborate walk-through that is in-depth and not limited to the word count limits of CIPD assignments. This is intended to give you a wider range of possible answers and approaches for each question. THIS IS NOT A COPY-PASTE ANSWER, it is a simple and easy-to-follow guide for study purposes. We shall not be responsible for any poor or low scores arising from use of this content. Apply with due discretion.

AC2.4 Analyse well-being initiatives and the role of health promotion programmes and other interventions in the workplace.

What the assessor expects for AC2.4

Keep this in your head when writing. The assessor wants to see that you can do more than describe. They want analysis. That means you must:

• Explain what workplace well-being initiatives and health promotion programmes are, in practical terms.
• Analyse the role these programmes play in preventing, identifying and managing health issues at work.
• Compare different types of interventions and show pros and cons for each, linked to evidence or plausible reasoning.
• Apply the concepts to your chosen organisation as for our case we have used The Inter Luxe Hotel Group case study, showing how specific measures would address real risks there.
• Say how success would be measured, and what trade-offs or barriers the organisation must manage.
• Give clear, practical recommendations for what the People team should do next, with a brief plan for evaluation.

If you got the above then you are on the right track.

Step-by-step plan

Follow this order. It helps the assessor find your reasoning.

1. Short opening paragraph define the terms in plain English. One or two tight sentences that show you know the difference between a well-being initiative, a health promotion programme, and other interventions.
2. Quick statement of context two or three sentences about Inter Luxe and why well-being matters there. Use facts from the case study: 800 properties, coastal and city sites, different customer types, seasonal peaks.
3. Catalogue of initiatives and programmes  grouped by type. For each item give:
   • what it is,
   • why it matters for Inter Luxe,
   • likely advantages and drawbacks,
   • how you would measure success.
4. Analytical section  compare and critique the options. Use criteria such as relevance to risk, likely take-up by staff, cost, and speed of effect. Be explicit. Don’t assume things work just because they sound good.
5. Practical worked examples for two specific hotels in the cluster  one coastal resort, one city hotel. Show one short programme for each, with clear steps and KPIs.
6. Governance, legal and ethical considerations  short but firm: confidentiality, data handling, reasonable adjustments, health and safety duties.
7. Conclusion with recommendations and a short implementation roadmap (who does what, by when, and how success will be checked).

Definitions

• Well-being initiative are any action the employer takes to protect or improve employees’ physical, mental or social health at work. That could be a new rota system, a counselling line, or a rest space.
• Health promotion programme are planned activity aimed at changing health behaviour or managing health risk across a workforce. Examples are vaccination clinics, smoking cessation courses, or weight management sessions.
• Other interventions are organisational or individual changes that are not behaviour campaigns, for example job redesign, absence procedures or occupational health referrals.

Say these plainly and move on. Don’t spend ages defining things.

Risk mapping for Inter Luxe this involves how to link hazards to interventions

Make a short table in your answer or a compact paragraph. For example:

• Front-of-house staff
  • customer stress, rude or aggressive guests, long standing, shift work.
  • Interventions – manager training, debriefs, rest breaks, rota redesign, mental health support.
• Housekeeping
  • manual handling, slips, repetitive strains, heat in kitchens or laundries.
  • Interventions – manual handling training, mechanical aids, scheduled rest, physiotherapy access.
• Kitchen staff
  • heat, burns, high pace at service times.
  • Interventions – PPE, rota limits on continuous hours, hydration, first aid and health checks.
• Seasonal workers
  • variable hours, unfamiliar with local systems, social isolation.
  • Interventions – induction programme with wellbeing focus, buddy schemes, targeted communications, temporary accommodation checks.

Catalogue of Initiatives and Programmes

List of common options, what they do, and how they would work for Inter Luxe. For each item include a one-line evaluation the assessor can see.

Occupational health service and pre-employment checks

• What it is: access to an occupational health professional for fitness assessments, pre-employment screening and return-to-work support.
• Why for Inter Luxe: staff in physical roles need clearance and advice; seasonal recruits may carry unknown health risks.
• Advantages: objective medical input, helps make reasonable adjustments, supports safer recruitment.
• Drawbacks: cost, potential privacy worries among staff.
• Measure: number of OH referrals, time to return to work, reduction in related absence.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and confidential counselling

• What it is: a telephone and face-to-face counselling service for staff and often their families.
• Why for Inter Luxe: front-line staff face customer incidents that can cause distress, and managers need a safe place to refer people.
• Advantages: rapid, usually available 24/7, can reduce longer absence when used early.
• Drawbacks: uptake can be low if stigma exists, and quality varies by provider.
• Measure: take-up rate, user satisfaction, trend in mental-health related absence.

Mental health awareness and manager training (including mental-health first aid)

• What it is: training for managers on spotting signs and having supportive conversations, plus staff awareness sessions.
• Why for Inter Luxe: line managers in hotels are the first point of contact. Good manager capability reduces escalation.
• Advantages: builds local capacity and normalises conversations.
• Drawbacks: training alone is not enough unless managers are given time to practise new skills.
• Measure: self-reported manager confidence, number of supportive conversations recorded, reduction in long-term absence.

Stress risk assessment and workload redesign

• What it is: formal assessment using an agreed process, followed by changes to rotas, role clarity and workloads.
• Why for Inter Luxe: seasonal peaks create predictable stress periods that could be planned for.
• Advantages: targets root causes rather than only treating symptoms.
• Drawbacks: may require operational change and cost, and managers may resist changing rotas.
• Measure: staff survey scores on workload and control, incidence of stress-related absence.

Shift design and fatigue management

• What it is: limits on consecutive night shifts, protected daily rest, and predictable rotas.
• Why for Inter Luxe: hotels run 24/7, so fatigue is a major risk for safety and service.
• Advantages: reduces accidents, improves alertness and morale.
• Drawbacks: may raise labour costs if more staff are needed to cover shifts.
• Measure: accident reports, self-reported fatigue, turnover in night roles.

On-site health checks and vaccination clinics

• What it is: seasonal flu clinics, basic screening for blood pressure, BMI checks, smoking cessation support.
• Why for Inter Luxe: helps reduce illness transmission among staff and guests.
• Advantages: visible, low barrier to access, can be run in partnership with local services.
• Drawbacks: behaviour change from a single check is uncertain.
• Measure: uptake, pre and post health indicators, reduction in short-term absence.

Ergonomics and mechanical aids for manual handling

• What it is: lifting equipment, trolleys, adjusted housekeeping schedules and ergonomics assessments.
• Why for Inter Luxe: manual handling linked to musculoskeletal absence.
• Advantages: direct reduction in physical injury risk.
• Drawbacks: equipment cost and maintenance.
• Measure: incidence of musculoskeletal injuries, days lost to related absence.

Return-to-work and phased return programmes

• What it is: structured, time-limited adjustments to help people back after illness or injury.
• Why for Inter Luxe: keeps experienced staff in the workforce and reduces long term absence.
• Advantages: increases retention and morale.
• Drawbacks: requires manager time and clear tracking.
• Measure: successful RTW rates, duration of phased returns, recurrence rates.

Bullying and harassment policies with clear reporting and investigation routes

• What it is: policy plus training and independent reporting options.
• Why for Inter Luxe: high service environments can see customer and colleague conflict.
• Advantages: clarifies standards and sanctions and can prevent gradual morale decline.
• Drawbacks: if not enforced, it can be worse than having no policy.
• Measure: number of reports, case outcomes, staff survey trust scores.

Financial and practical wellbeing support

• What it is: access to impartial debt advice, payroll advances, or signposting to local services.
• Why for Inter Luxe: hospitality roles often have pay seasonality that causes financial strain.
• Advantages: timely help reduces stress and presenteeism.
• Drawbacks: may have immediate cost implications if loans or advances are given.
• Measure: uptake, staff self-reported financial stress, impact on absence.

Social and team-based initiatives (peer support, recognition)

• What it is: buddy systems, recognition awards, team socials.
• Why for Inter Luxe: high turnover and shift patterns can erode team cohesion.
• Advantages: low cost and good for morale.
• Drawbacks: can feel tokenistic if not genuine.
• Measure: staff engagement, retention in target teams.

Inter Luxe Examples

Example A – Coastal resort (peak season problem)
Scenario: sudden influx of holiday guests, long service hours, heat and heavy luggage handling.

Proposed programme: Seasonal Well-Being Package (pilot in two resorts before roll-out). Core elements:

• Pre-season briefing for managers on workload planning and heat risk.
• Mandatory manual handling refresh and provision of extra trolleys for luggage teams.
• Hydration points and shaded rest breaks scheduled into rotas.
• Temporary increase in relief staff for the busiest weeks.
• EAP and on-site first aid cover during peak weeks.
• Quick staff survey after peak season.

KPIs to report: Number of heat-related incidents, musculoskeletal reports, short-term absence days during peak compared with last year, staff satisfaction score for workload. A simple target might be to reduce heat-related incidents by a visible margin, or to keep service-period absence no higher than the off-season level. Use one full paragraph to describe why each element addresses the mapped risk.

Example B – city hotel with business guests (overnight events)
Scenario: unpredictable late finishes, frequent conference events, guest aggression sometimes reported.

Proposed programme: Manager Capacity and Staff Support Plan. Core elements:

• Manager training in de-escalation and wellbeing conversations.
• A clear incident reporting route and immediate debrief for any staff involved in an aggressive incident.
• Night-shift fatigue management: limit on maximum consecutive nights and a rota review.
• Access to confidential counselling and a small dedicated rest room for short breaks.

KPIs: number of aggression incidents, number of debriefs conducted, night-shift turnover, staff perceptions of manager support in pulse surveys.

Evaluating effectiveness, what evidence the assessor wants

Use the following criteria as headings when analysing each initiative in your essay:

• Relevance: does the measure address the specific risk profile at that site?
• Reach: will the people who need it actually use it?
• Cost and value: short term cost versus likely savings from fewer absence days or accidents. You can explain how to estimate absence cost per day and multiply by likely days saved. This is practical and persuasive.
• Durability: is the effect short-lived or likely to continue? For example one health check is quick, but training plus culture change takes longer.
• Acceptability and equality: does the approach respect privacy and legal duties, and is it fair across groups?
• Ease of measurement: choose measures that the HR system can collect without heroic new data collection.

Give an example calculation for the business case. You do not need exact numbers in an assignment, but show how you would calculate: average daily pay by role times days lost, plus replacement costs, then compare to programme cost. That shows assessors you can reason in practical terms.

Governance, legal and ethical points

Cover these briefly and practically.

• Confidentiality: keep health records secure and separate from general HR files. Make sure staff know who will see what.
• Reasonable adjustments: make clear how OH will advise on adjustments and how line managers will enact them.
• Health and safety duties: sketch how the People function works with Ops to manage risk assessments and corrective actions.
• Equality implications: check that measures do not disadvantage part-time or migrant staff. For Inter Luxe, seasonal and migrant workers are especially relevant.

Keep this short. The assessor does not want a legal essay, but they do want to see you can handle the obligations.

Common barriers and how to manage them

List the usual blockers and short solutions. Keep each one to a line or two.

• Low take-up because of stigma. Try targeted comms, manager endorsements, and confidential access routes.
• Cost pressure. Use a pilot with measured outcomes and build a business case based on absence cost savings.
• Operational resistance to changed rotas. Run small pilots and use staff feedback to refine.
• Multi-site inconsistency. Set minimum standards centrally and allow local adaptation..

Practical writing tips so your answer reads like a strong assignment

These tips help examiners find what they need.

• Use the case study often. Don’t talk only in the abstract. Link each initiative back to Inter Luxe.
• Use short, named examples rather than long theory sections. The assessor prefers applied analysis.
• Show trade-offs. Say where a measure won’t work or might need more resources. That is analysis.
• Include a short evaluation plan with KPIs and data sources. Even a simple list helps.
• Keep your recommendations actionable. Say who should lead each action, approximate timescale, and one measure of success.

Example paragraph

Inter Luxe faces both physical and emotional risks across its hotels. At coastal resorts the peak season generates intense physical demands and heat exposures for housekeeping and portering teams, while city sites show more episodic stress from late events and guest incidents. A mixed approach is required. Immediate steps could include pre-season manual handling checks and seasonal hydration protocols at resort sites, alongside improved incident reporting and manager training at city hotels. Over time, routine occupational health access and a well-publicised counselling service will help reduce long-term absence and support retention. Set clear KPIs at the outset and review after a defined pilot period so the People team can show what worked and why.

Short checklist

• Have I defined key terms?
• Have I linked each initiative to a specific Inter Luxe risk?
• Do I show pros and cons for each initiative?
• Have I proposed ways to measure success?
• Have I covered governance, confidentiality and reasonable adjustments?
• Are my recommendations practical and timebound?
• Does the answer include critical analysis rather than only description?

Inter Luxe hotels operate in environments that place different demands on their staff. Coastal resorts feel the strain during peak holiday seasons, where high guest volumes, heavy luggage handling, long hours and heat exposure can test both physical stamina and morale. City hotels have a different pattern, late-night corporate events, unpredictable shift finishes, and occasional guest aggression that takes a mental toll. A one-size approach would miss these differences, so two parallel programmes make sense.

For the resorts, a Seasonal Well-Being Package could be introduced before the busy months begin. Managers would run pre-season briefings to review workload plans, identify heat-risk points, and agree realistic staffing levels. Manual handling refreshers would be made mandatory for portering and housekeeping teams, alongside the provision of extra trolleys to reduce strain.

Rotas would build in protected shaded rest breaks, with visible hydration stations positioned where staff work most intensively. Relief staff could be scheduled for the busiest days, cutting the need for unsafe overtime. The on-site first aiders would be briefed to look for early signs of heat stress. An end-of-season survey would help measure fatigue levels, injury reports, and absence rates compared with previous years.

In the city hotels, a Manager Capacity and Staff Support Plan could focus on incident handling and fatigue control. All duty managers would receive short, practical training in de-escalation and in having well-being conversations with staff. This would be paired with a formal incident reporting route and an immediate debrief system, not as a bureaucratic task, but as a chance to check on emotional impact and offer early support.

Night shifts would be capped at a set number of consecutive duties, and rotas reviewed to improve predictability. A small, dedicated rest room could be made available for night workers to take restorative breaks during quieter periods. Access to confidential counselling through the Employee Assistance Programme would be actively promoted, with take-up tracked over time.

Both programmes share a focus on measurable outcomes. KPIs might include specific targets for reducing heat-related incidents in resorts, lowering night-shift turnover in cities, and increasing reported feelings of manager support in pulse surveys. By treating each setting’s pressure points directly, Inter Luxe could improve staff well-being without losing operational focus, and over time, the evidence from these pilots could guide which measures become standard practice across all sites.

AC3.1 Evaluate the tools and assessments used in workplace health and well being to provide an evidence-based approach.

Step 1 Understanding What the Assessor Is Actually Asking

When you see the word evaluate, it’s more than just describing.
You’re being asked to look at the strengths, limitations, and practical value of the tools and assessments used for workplace health and well-being.
So, the assessor is checking whether you can weigh up how useful these tools really are, in context, rather than just listing them.

Here, “evidence-based approach” means you’re not simply saying a tool works because it sounds good, but because there’s data, research, or observed outcomes (possibly from the case study) showing it does.

So if we strip it down:

• Name the tool or assessment
• Describe how it works in real workplace settings
• Give examples from the case study (Inter Luxe Hotels, in this scenario)
• Evaluate how effective it is, not just in theory, but in reality, with pros and cons
• Link your points to evidence, either from the case study data or recognised UK workplace health standards (like HSE guidance, CIPD surveys, NHS occupational health practices)

Step 2 Identifying Which Tools and Assessments to Discuss

In the UK, some of the more common workplace health and well-being tools include:

1. Employee Well-being Surveys – anonymous questionnaires asking staff about their physical, mental, and social health at work.
2. Sickness Absence Data Tracking – reviewing patterns of absence to spot possible health concerns.
3. Occupational Health Assessments – professional medical reviews of an employee’s fitness for work.
4. Stress Risk Assessments – identifying triggers for workplace stress, often using HSE Management Standards.
5. Return-to-Work Interviews – structured discussions after absence to support recovery and reintegration.
6. Employee Assistance Programmes usage data – tracking uptake of counselling, legal advice, or mental health services.
7. Workplace Ergonomic Assessments – evaluating workstations, tools, and working conditions to reduce injury risk.

Step 3 Linking to the Case Study (Inter Luxe Hotels)

Think about Inter Luxe’s specific situation:

• Eight hotels in the cluster, part of a multinational group.
• Mix of coastal resort staff (possibly more seasonal, customer-facing, physical work) and city hotel staff (more administrative and business-client oriented).
• High expectations from customers, which can increase stress levels in staff.
• Likely mix of permanent, temporary, and seasonal workers.

Some tools might work brilliantly in this context. Others might be more challenging to use or interpret, that’s where your evaluation comes in.

Step 4 Structuring the Evaluation in a Realistic, Human Way

1. Employee Well-being Surveys
These are usually anonymous, encouraging staff to speak honestly. In a hospitality setting like Inter Luxe, you could distribute them online for city hotel staff and paper-based versions for resort workers with limited digital access.

• Strengths – They give a broad snapshot of morale, workload pressure, and perceived fairness. You might spot issues before they turn into absences or resignations.
• Limitations – Response rates can be poor if staff don’t trust that their feedback will lead to change. Seasonal staff might not bother responding if they feel their job is temporary.
• Evidence-based element – You could point to CIPD’s Health and Well-being at Work survey, which shows organisations acting on survey findings see measurable gains in engagement and lower turnover.

2. Sickness Absence Data Tracking
Look at patterns in sickness absence across the eight hotels. Are certain teams off sick more often? Do coastal resorts see more absence during the off-season?

• Strengths – Provides concrete, numerical evidence. If a specific role shows higher absence, that’s a flag for deeper investigation.
• Limitations – It doesn’t tell you why. Data might show absence spikes, but without talking to staff, you can’t tell if it’s due to workplace stress, poor management, or even unrelated personal matters.
• Evidence-based element – Public Health England guidance shows that targeted health interventions can reduce absence rates when they’re based on actual sickness data.

3. Stress Risk Assessments (HSE Approach)
The HSE Management Standards framework looks at six key stress factors: demands, control, support, relationships, role clarity, and change. Inter Luxe could use this to spot problem areas, for example, high demands during peak holiday season.

• Strengths – Structured, nationally recognised method. Can be applied across all eight hotels to see patterns.
• Limitations – Takes time and requires managers to commit to follow-up actions. If leadership is inconsistent across locations, results might not lead to meaningful change.
• Evidence-based element – HSE case studies show measurable reductions in stress-related absence when this framework is applied consistently.

4. Occupational Health Assessments
If a staff member is struggling physically or mentally, an OH referral can assess fitness for work and recommend adjustments, like modified duties for someone recovering from injury.

• Strengths – Professional, impartial advice backed by medical expertise.
• Limitations – Can be costly, and in hospitality, where margins are often tight, it might be underused unless legally required. Also, temporary staff may not qualify for OH support in the same way permanent employees do.
• Evidence-based element – NHS occupational health guidance notes that timely OH involvement reduces long-term absence risk.

AC3.1 – Evaluate the tools and assessments used in workplace health and well-being to provide an evidence-based approach

In workplace health and well-being, tools are only as valuable as the evidence and follow-up behind them. For Inter Luxe Hotels, with its mix of city and coastal locations, the starting point could be employee well-being surveys. These give staff the chance to voice concerns anonymously, which in hospitality can uncover hidden pressure points, long shifts, customer aggression, or lack of rest days. The strength here is breadth; you hear from many voices at once. Still, if staff don’t believe change will follow, response rates and honesty may drop. CIPD data shows that when employers act visibly on survey results, engagement rises, which strengthens the case for using them.

Another useful method is sickness absence data tracking. Across eight hotels, patterns will emerge. Perhaps one coastal property has more back injuries, suggesting manual handling risks. The strength of this tool lies in its clarity, numbers don’t lie. Yet, absence figures alone don’t reveal the cause, so they work best when paired with conversations or further assessment. Public Health England highlights that targeted interventions based on absence trends reduce future absence, making it a worthwhile evidence source.

Stress risk assessments, particularly the HSE Management Standards, could also fit well. Inter Luxe’s peak seasons likely see high demands, sometimes without matching control or support for staff. Using this structured approach means managers can identify risks before they escalate. The main challenge is consistency. If one manager embraces the process and another treats it as a tick-box exercise, results will be uneven, and staff will notice.

Finally, occupational health assessments have value for individual cases, a chef returning after surgery, for instance, might need adapted duties. This provides professional, impartial recommendations. Cost can be a barrier, especially for seasonal staff, but for permanent employees it can prevent long-term absence and protect both the person and the business.

In practice, the best approach for Inter Luxe is probably not to choose one tool, but to combine them. A survey might highlight stress in kitchen teams, absence data could confirm the pattern, and a stress risk assessment might pinpoint specific triggers. Evidence from each source strengthens the case for action. The real measure of success will be whether managers act on what these tools reveal, without that, the best evidence stays on paper.

FAQs

1. What does AC2.4 in CIPD Level 7OS06 focus on?
   It asks you to analyse workplace well-being initiatives, looking at health promotion programmes and other interventions. You’ll need to think about how these influence both individual and organisational outcomes.

2. How should I approach AC3.2 in this unit?
   The aim is to evaluate workplace health and well-being assessment tools. This means considering how these tools produce evidence that can guide decisions. You might compare different tools, discuss their limitations, and show how they link to your case study.

3. Do I need to use theory in my answers?
   Yes,  theory supports your reasoning, but your focus should be on how it applies in real scenarios. CIPD expects you to balance academic frameworks with lived workplace examples.

4. Why use a case study approach for these questions?
   Case studies give your work authenticity. They demonstrate how concepts operate in actual settings, rather than in hypothetical examples. Our approach uses our own workplace scenario to create this link.

5. Is this guide enough to complete my assignment?
   No, it’s not designed to be a complete answer. It’s more of a structured pointer, showing you ways to think about and approach the question. Your own research and critical thinking are still essential.