Introduction and the People Practice Function

The people practice function sits at the centre of this video, which forms the opening instalment of the 5OS07 Wellbeing at Work unit at CIPD Level 5. Covering Assessment Criterion 2.1, the video maps out who the key stakeholders in workplace wellbeing are — encompassing individuals and groups both inside and outside the organisation — before narrowing its focus to the specific contribution of people practitioners. The video establishes that wellbeing outcomes depend on coordinated effort across multiple stakeholders rather than on any single team or role.

Within that stakeholder landscape, the video devotes substantial attention to what people practitioners actually do to advance wellbeing. It covers needs assessment activity, including the use of absence data, engagement surveys, exit interviews and occupational health reports as diagnostic tools. Policy and programme design is examined alongside the procurement and management of external providers such as occupational health services and employee assistance programmes. The video also addresses the legal compliance dimension of the people practice role, touching on health and safety legislation, equality legislation in relation to disability and reasonable adjustments, and data protection obligations when handling sensitive health information.

A distinct thread running through the video concerns the strategic and influencing dimension of the people practice role, particularly the responsibility to make a business case for wellbeing investment and to keep wellbeing on the senior leadership agenda by translating data into insights that inform decision-making. The video also touches on return on investment, metrics and monitoring as tools for demonstrating whether initiatives are achieving meaningful outcomes — framing these as part of an ongoing cycle of evaluation rather than a one-off exercise.