On 5 November 2025, the UK Government announced a new partnership with major employers to tackle rising economic inactivity linked to long-term sickness. The initiative builds on the final report of the Keep Britain Working review, led by former John Lewis Chair Sir Charlie Mayfield, which sets out a series of recommendations aimed at helping people with long-term health conditions remain in or return to work.
The government has welcomed the report’s findings and pledged to work with businesses across sectors to implement them. Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall has described this as a “step change” in how government and employers support workers with ill health, with the goal of keeping more people economically active.
What’s in the Plan?
The final Keep Britain Working report recommends:
- Creating new “Working Well” partnerships between the public and private sectors to support workers with health conditions;
- Making occupational health support more widely available, particularly to smaller businesses;
- Sharing best practice among employers to improve workplace inclusion and job retention;
- Reforming statutory sick pay to encourage phased returns to work;
- Offering tailored support for those with fluctuating or chronic conditions.
More than 100 employers have already signed up to the initiative, including major brands such as Sainsbury’s, Aviva, and PwC. The press release notes that these organisations are committed to early intervention, flexible adjustments, and sharing success stories to drive culture change.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has framed the report as part of a broader shift towards prevention and early support; keeping people in work before they fall out of the labour market due to ill health.
The ME Association believes that some of the report’s proposals could offer meaningful support to people with long-term health conditions; it also raises significant concerns, particularly among people with ME/CFS or Long Covid:
1. Pressure to Work Despite Severe Ill Health
Many people with ME/CFS or Long Covid are too unwell to engage in any form of employment. The idea that work can always be retained with the right support fails to recognise the reality for those with severe or very fluctuating symptoms. Post-exertional malaise (a hallmark symptom of ME/CFS) can be triggered by even minor cognitive or physical activity; this is not a population that can be expected to “recover at work.”
While the Keep Britain Working report does acknowledge fluctuating conditions, its core message emphasises retaining people in employment and reducing health-related inactivity. For people with disabling energy impairment, this risks fuelling a narrative of non-compliance rather than unmet health need.
2. Unclear Protections for Those Too Unwell to Work
There is a worrying lack of clarity around how these initiatives will safeguard those who are unable to work at all. The emphasis on occupational health and phased return assumes some baseline capacity. Yet many people with ME/CFS or Long Covid rely entirely on health-related benefits and cannot engage in any kind of work pathway.
Without explicit protections or reassurances, initiatives like this may contribute to increasing conditionality or pressure to “try work” even when it is medically unsafe. This echoes wider concerns about the government’s welfare reform agenda, including changes to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment, as well as the proposed removal of the Work Capability Assessment.
3. Persistent Barriers to Workplace Inclusion
Where individuals with ME/CFS or Long Covid do wish to explore work, significant practical barriers remain:
- Unpredictable symptom patterns make regular hours or standard adjustments unworkable;
- Sensory sensitivities may make office environments inaccessible;
- Lack of understanding among employers and occupational health professionals often leads to inappropriate support plans or dismissal;
- Fear of losing benefits continues to deter people from trying work, particularly when rules around reassessment and benefit reinstatement are unclear.
The Keep Britain Working review calls for cultural change and better knowledge of fluctuating conditions; however, this will take time and does not guarantee safety or access in the meantime.
Conclusion
The ME Association believes that any effort to reduce long-term sickness absence or economic inactivity must:
- Be fully voluntary and co-produced with disabled people;
- Include clear protections for those who cannot work;
- Fund truly individualised support for those exploring work;
- Address systemic disincentives, including fear of benefit loss;
- Acknowledge that for some people, rest and medical care, not work, are the most appropriate interventions.
We will continue to monitor these developments closely and challenge any implication that people with ME/CFS or Long Covid are “inactive” by choice. Work can be meaningful and empowering—but only when it is safe, appropriate, and genuinely optional.
Tell Us What You Think
Do you have ME/CFS or Long Covid and feel you could work in some capacity if there were suitable opportunities available? Have you had positive or negative experiences with employers or occupational health services? We’d like to hear from you as we continue to advocate for fair, compassionate, and realistic policy. If you would like to contribute your story to our growing bank of case studies, please get in touch:
Email: welfare@meassociation.org.uk
Ella Smith
Welfare Rights Consultant,
The ME Association
Further Information
- GOV UK: Keep Britain Working: Final report | Nov 5, 2025