Health and well-being in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). What public health support do SMEs really need?

Aims: Health and well-being in the workplace is a concept that is understood as a fundamental business case for a productive, happy and healthy workforce. The workplace is also a setting by which knowledge and skills about health can be disseminated to assist people, in improving their health and well-being. Public health professionals are in a position to develop workplace health and well-being interventions, which support those in jobs and those seeking employment. They can also influence the extent to which work and the workplace affects health and well-being outcomes. This article aims to identify the main health and well-being needs of a sample of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Greater Manchester and the support that public health professionals can offer. Methods: The research adopted a Health Needs Assessment (HNA) approach using convenience and opportunistic sampling methods, from the list of SMEs in Greater Manchester. The SMEs varied in size and type of business, and 91 telephone interviews, using semi-structured questions, were used to collect data which identified the health and well-being needs of a sample of SMEs in Greater Manchester. This research r