Research and analysis

DWP Employer Survey 2024: Technical details

Published 16 May 2025

DWP research report no. 1095

A report of research carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions.

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First published May 2025

ISBN 978 1 78659 838 7

Views expressed in this report are not necessarily those of the Department for Work and Pensions or any other government department.

Voluntary statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

The Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) is built around 3 main concepts, or pillars, trustworthiness, quality and value:

• trustworthiness – is about having confidence in the people and organisations that publish statistics
• quality – is about using data and methods that produce assured statistics
• value – is about publishing statistics that support society’s needs for information

The following explains how we have applied the pillars of the Code in a proportionate way.

Trustworthiness

This survey fieldwork was conducted by IFF Research. The design and delivery was conducted impartially and in compliance with the Market Research Society Code of Conduct, and the Government Social Research Code of Practice. The analysis was primarily conducted by IFF, with some secondary analysis conducted by analysts at the Department for Work and Pensions. The writing of the report was conducted by analysts at the Department for Work and Pensions and has been checked thoroughly by analysts at the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure it meets the highest standards of analysis and drafting.

Although research findings were shared with ministers and other officials in advance of publication, this was done to promote the value of the research to the department. Ministers had no editorial role.

Quality

The survey was carried out using established statistical methods. The research has been quality assured using IFF Research internal quality checking processes, which have been shared with the Department for Work and Pensions. The analysis of findings and report writing has been quality assured by analysts at the Department for Work and Pensions.

Value

The report provides insights into employer attitudes and behaviour in relation to key issues of interest to the Department for Work and Pensions. These attitudes and behaviours are important in better understanding how employers view what the department delivers and to help the department understand and address any concerns from this stakeholder group. The policy areas covered include recruitment, retention, progression, skills, pensions, specific groups who may be disadvantaged in the labour market, and health and disability at work.

1. Introduction

1.1. There is a need for up-to-date information on employer attitudes and practices to allow the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to understand employers’ experiences, support policy development and monitor progress against key objectives.

1.2. In this context, DWP commissioned IFF Research to conduct wave 2 of the DWP Employer Survey, following on from wave 1 of this research which was carried out in 2022. Much of the methodology for the survey, including sampling, fieldwork and weighting were kept the same as at wave 1^{[footnote 1]}. The survey covered a wide range of different topics including recruitment and retention of staff; employee health and wellbeing; pension matters; diversity in the workplace; and engagement in employer-focussed government initiatives.

1.3. Mainstage fieldwork was carried out between February 28th and April 25th, 2024. A total of 8,006 employers in Great Britain were surveyed (3,059 Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) and 4,947 online surveys). The employers that participated in the survey operated in a wide variety of sectors and included a range of different sized organisations.

1.4. This paper outlines the methodological approach taken for the Employer Survey, including:

• sampling
• research materials
• pilot and mainstage fieldwork
• response rates
• data processing and coding
• weighting

2. Sampling

2.1. As with wave 1, the decision was made to define the survey population unit as the ‘organisation’, rather than at the ‘establishment/site’ level. Typically, decisions about company policy e.g. type of pension offered to staff are made at the organisational level, which contributed towards this decision. The population for the survey is organisations in Great Britain, across all sectors of the economy, with an employment headcount of at least two people.

2.2. Sampling followed the same process used for wave 1. In summary, a target of 8,000 interviews was set. Precise targets were then set by size and sector within country, using counts from the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR). The IDBR was used because it is widely regarded as the most accurate and comprehensive “official” source of business population data^{[footnote 2]}. A Probability Proportionate to Size (PPS) approach was used to ensure good base sizes for analysis by all size-bands and sectors, and without the achieved interview profile deviating too far from the underlying population.

2.3. As at wave 1, a survey screener was used to ensure only eligible businesses completed the survey. Those with fewer than 2 employees or head offices outside the UK were screened out before starting the main survey.

2.4. The survey used a mixed online and telephone approach as a means to deliver the required number of interviews within the budget available.

2.5. All the records with e-mail addresses held on Market Location’s Business Database were sampled for the online element of the survey. Before the sample was ordered, IFF compared available sample counts across several main providers, and Market Location’s Business Database was chosen because it had the most comprehensive coverage of employers. This sampling amounted to 227,081 contacts. Based on the response rates achieved at wave 1, it was initially envisaged that this would generate around 3,200 completed surveys in total.

2.6. As per the methodology at wave 1, the number of interviews that this sample would generate in each of the target cells was estimated and hence the shortfall that would need to be made up by telephone interviews was identified.

2.7. The sampling frame for the telephone interviews was again Market Location’s database but selecting all records with a telephone number and no e-mail address. Effectively this was all the rest of the database that had not been sampled for the online component of the survey since Market Location holds telephone numbers for almost all businesses (and their overall coverage closely matches the business population as a whole).

2.8. Within each cell of the size-by-sector-by-country sample grid, the sample was drawn at random in a 12:1 ratio against these telephone interview targets, where possible. In some cells there were not sufficient records available to meet this ratio and, in these instances, all available records were drawn.

2.9. Table 2.1 presents the number of employer records obtained from Market Location’s Business Database for CATI fieldwork, while Table 2.2 presents the number of employer records for online fieldwork.

Table 2.1 Employer sample drawn for CATI fieldwork

Employer sector	2 to 4	5 to 9	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100 to 249	250+	Total
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	4,142	1,043	613	170	72	48	25	6,113
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	1,437	797	658	376	228	156	100	3,752
Manufacturing	925	332	325	627	625	596	571	4,001
Construction	3,990	512	298	745	784	431	108	6,868
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	1,874	531	356	898	899	914	483	5,955
Transport & Storage	1,851	755	479	492	467	444	230	4,718
Hotels & Restaurants	1,967	1,267	961	785	724	505	166	6,375
Communication	2,350	555	501	557	539	499	298	5,299
Financial Intermediation	1,422	566	432	415	403	383	373	3,994
Real Estate & Business Activities	4,099	729	680	1,238	1,319	1,329	932	10,326
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	1,294	798	737	804	762	750	691	5,836
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	1,740	717	605	626	610	600	289	5,187
Total	27,091	8,602	6,645	7,733	7,432	6,655	4,266	68,424

Table 2.2 Employer sample drawn for online fieldwork

Employer sector	2 to 4	5 to 9	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100 to 249	250+	Total
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	1,365	578	401	118	56	38	23	2,579
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	657	595	665	288	177	84	15	2,481
Manufacturing	7,168	5,653	5,775	2,448	1,473	886	288	23,691
Construction	10,855	7,027	6,204	1,906	860	335	49	27,236
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	24,753	14,139	9,097	2,993	1,372	730	161	53,245
Transport & Storage	2,416	1,820	2,019	875	492	231	63	7,916
Hotels & Restaurants	4,472	3,653	3,428	992	332	147	36	13,060
Communication	3,393	2,413	2,193	739	377	188	48	9,351
Financial Intermediation	2,519	1,715	1,315	446	215	119	59	6,388
Real Estate & Business Activities	17,615	12,344	10,362	3,440	1,616	732	179	46,288
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	3,983	3,283	4,544	3,505	2,239	1,263	437	19,254
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	7,487	4,005	2,550	858	389	237	66	15,592
Total	86,683	57,225	48,553	18,608	9,598	4,990	1,424	227,081

3. Research Materials

3.1 The questionnaire for wave 2 of the Employer Survey and an email invitation for online fieldwork was developed collaboratively between IFF and DWP between November 2023 and January 2024. Much of the questionnaire from wave 1 was retained, but there were significant additions and deletions, reflecting the need to collect information on new topics of interest to the department which had emerged since the first wave was conducted (for example, the menopause). The full questionnaire can be found in the appendices. The questionnaire covered a wide variety of topics, including:

• approaches taken for monitoring and managing employee health and wellbeing
• awareness and experience of DWP and Jobcentre Plus schemes (e.g., Disability Confident, Access to Work and Sickness Absence)
• experiences of interacting with DWP and Jobcentre Plus
• experiences of recruitment over the last 12 months
• provision of training and progression pathways for employees
• approaches to monitoring and managing diversity in the workplace
• employment and working arrangements of people aged over 50 and disadvantaged groups
• pension schemes and benefits offered to employees

3.2. The questionnaire was modularised to ensure a sufficient base size was achieved for each topic while still maintaining a manageable interview length. This was to mitigate respondent fatigue and therefore ensure the collection of high-quality responses.

3.3. Employers were randomly assigned to one of six modules, each of which were designed with close attention paid to flow and length. The routes through the questionnaire are set out in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 Topics covered in the 6 modules in the survey including base sizes

Survey section	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
S: Screener	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
A: General Work and Health	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
A: Occupational Health	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
F: Access to work	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
E: Disability confident	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
C: Fit note	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
D: Mental health	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
P: Defined contribution schemes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
O: Workplace Pensions	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
N: Employer benefits	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
H: Recruitment and skills	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
I: Employer perceptions/disadvantaged groups	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
J: Employee progress	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
K: Interaction with DWP/Jobcentre Plus (JCP)	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
B: 50 plus Choices and Menopause	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
L: Diversity	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
M: Disadvantaged groups	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Q: Flexible working	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
R: Closing and re-contact	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

4. Fieldwork

Cognitive testing

4.1. IFF research cognitively tested a selection of new questions which were added at wave 2. Interviews took place between 12th and 19th January with employers who were recruited using a free-find recruitment specialist via a pre-agreed screener. Employers were offered a £75 voucher or charity donation to take part in the cognitive testing element. Quotas were set to ensure a good spread of employers by business size and industry sector. Overall, 12 employers took part from a variety of business sizes, and a range of industry sectors including finance, retail, education, ICT, business services, manufacturing, and charity. Interviewers spoke to a mix of directors, CEOs and HR managers.

4.2. Overall, there were few issues with understanding the questions among participating employers, and the questions broadly felt relevant across a range of employer sizes and sectors. Respondents were mostly confident that they were the right person to answer these questions. A few small amends were made to wording to clarify the meaning of some of the new questions and codes, and to add detail or examples where needed. For example, an explanation of what constitutes a Fit Note was added for interviewers to use if needed. Furthermore, some questions were modified due to employers not understanding or not being able to answer them. For example, employers were initially asked to provide an estimate of what percentage of employees’ sickness absence in their organisations was caused or made worse by work activity. Cognitive testing revealed that this was too difficult for employers to answer, and some social desirability bias came into play which could affect the data collected. The decision was made to change the question to focus on the quality and comprehensiveness of the recording of these work-related absences, with a simple five-point scale answer.

Pilot Fieldwork

4.3. IFF Research piloted wave 2 of the Employer Survey between 14 January and 12 February, 2024. In total, 50 interviews were achieved (44 Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) and 6 online surveys).

4.4. The pilot involved administering the survey as it would be during mainstage fieldwork, however interviewer team leaders listened in to some interviews and collated interviewer feedback. This enabled any interviewer instructions or guidance in the survey script to be tweaked according to interviewer experiences. The pilot also provided an opportunity to monitor survey outcomes and response patterns. The data collected at the pilot stage was not included in the final dataset.

Telephone (CATI)

4.5. Prior to launching the pilot fieldwork all interviewers received a briefing on the survey and were issued with written instructions, providing them with an understanding of the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria and the sample design.

4.6. In total, 2,250 records were sampled for the pilot stage. 1,000 were sent the e-mail invite to complete the survey online and the other 1,000 were used to test the telephone version of the questionnaire. As the length of time the pilot fieldwork ran for had been reduced, but not the target number of interviews to be achieved, the initial sample was dialed through before the end of the pilot. To avoid calling records multiple times a day, a further 250 telephone records were released to get closer to the target.

4.7. Overall, 44 CATI interviews were completed at this stage Table 4.1 and Table 4.2 present the number of interviews completed by sector and size.

Table 4.1 Achieved pilot CATI interviews by sector

Employer sector	Achieved interviews
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	3
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	0
Manufacturing	1
Construction	2
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	4
Transport & Storage	3
Hotels & Restaurants	5
Communication	8
Financial Intermediation	2
Real Estate & Business Activities	9
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	3
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	4
Total	44

Table 4.2 Achieved pilot CATI interviews by size

Employer size	Achieved interviews
2 to 4	15
5 to 9	7
10 to 24	6
24 to 49	5
50 to 99	6
100 to 249	4
250+	1
Total	44

Online

4.8. In total, 6 online surveys were completed for the pilot. Tables 4.3 and 4.4 present the number of interviews completed by sector and size.

Table 4.3 Achieved pilot online interviews by sector

Employer sector	Achieved interviews
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	0
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	0
Manufacturing	1
Construction	1
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	1
Transport & Storage	0
Hotels & Restaurants	0
Communication	0
Financial Intermediation	0
Real Estate & Business Activities	3
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	0
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	0
Total	6

Table 4.4 Achieved pilot online interviews by size

Employer size	Achieved interviews
2 to 4	3
5 to 9	0
10 to 24	2
24 to 49	0
50 to 99	1
100 to 249	0
250+	0
Total	6

Learning from pilot fieldwork

4.9. The questionnaire performed well during pilot fieldwork, with no problems due to a lack of understanding. However, the average length of the survey was 27 minutes, almost 6 minutes longer than the average completion length during wave 1 mainstage fieldwork. There were also some issues with respondent frustration due to some long “read out lists” for response options.

4.10. IFF and DWP streamlined the survey in a number of ways. Questions were prioritised and a handful of questions were subsequently removed. IFF also made some questions shorter by removing or collating response options. Finally, the balance of questions across each of the 6 modules was amended, removing some time off the overall average. This brought the survey down to an acceptable length, however there were trade-offs, such as some modules which at wave 1 had been asked in the same routes were now split across different routes, meaning cross-tabulations of this data would no longer be possible. After discussion with question stakeholders, it was felt this was preferable to removing further questions. The final version of the questionnaire used in mainstage fieldwork can be found in Appendix A of this report.

4.11. The online survey response rate at the pilot was somewhat lower than anticipated (0.7%). However, as there were more records available at wave 2, initially the same communications to employers in the sample were used as in wave 1.

Mainstage fieldwork

4.12. Mainstage fieldwork was carried out between 28 February and 25 April, 2024. In total, 8,006 interviews were achieved (3,059 Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) and 4,947 online surveys). The initial targets for CATI and Online fieldwork were revised after having better than expected success in boosting online response rates. To ensure the survey still achieved around 8,000 interviews in total, the CATI targets were reduced commensurate with the overshoot of the online response.

4.13. Table 4.5 presents the profile of achieved mainstage interviews in terms of sector and size. Table 4.6 presents the profile of achieved mainstage interviews by country.

Table 4.5 Achieved mainstage interviews by sector and size

Employer sector	2 to 4	5 to 9	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100 to 249	250+	Total
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	277	81	52	17	11	6	5	449
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	86	50	44	33	24	15	15	267
Manufacturing	155	122	155	115	84	77	34	742
Construction	222	108	153	77	48	37	9	654
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	340	299	225	117	86	69	46	1,182
Transport & Storage	131	65	65	43	41	34	20	399
Hotels & Restaurants	113	94	140	62	49	37	25	520
Communication	159	74	53	37	16	14	6	359
Financial Intermediation	146	73	53	27	12	12	9	332
Real Estate & Business Activities	551	314	288	179	112	85	64	1,593
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	99	129	194	202	146	98	61	929
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	189	111	110	49	34	55	32	580
Total	2,468	1,520	1,532	958	663	539	326	8,006

Table 4.6 Achieved mainstage interviews by country

Country	Achieved interviews
England	7,063
Scotland	567
Wales	376
Total	8,006

4.14. As noted in Section 3 (Research Materials), the questionnaire administered in mainstage fieldwork was modularised to ensure a sufficient base size was achieved for each topic while still maintaining a manageable interview length. Table 4.7 presents the number of interviews achieved for each module and section of the questionnaire.

Table 4.7 Achieved mainstage interviews by module

Survey section	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2	Total
S: Screener	1,335	1,335	1,335	1,334	1,334	1,333	8,006
A: General Work and Health	1,335	1,335	–	–	–	–	2,670
A: Occupational Health	–	–	1,335	–	1,334	–	2,669
F: Access to work	1,335	1,335	–	–	–	–	2,670
E: Disability confident	1,335	1,335	–	–	–	–	2,670
C: Fit note	–	–	1,335	–	1,334	–	2,669
D: Mental health	1,334	1,335	–	–	–	–	2,670
P: Defined contribution schemes	–	–	1,335	–	1,334	–	2,669
O: Workplace Pensions	–	–	1,335	–	1,334	–	2,669
N: Employer benefits	–	–	1,335	–	1,334	–	2,666
H: Recruitment and skills	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
I: Employer perceptions / disadvantaged groups	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
J: Employee progress	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
K: Interaction with DWP/Jobcentre Plus (JCP)	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
B: 50 plus Choices and Menopause	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
L: Diversity	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
M: Disadvantaged groups	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,667
Q: Flexible working	–	–	–	1,334	–	1,333	2,669
R: Closing and re-contact	1,335	1,335	1,335	1,334	1,334	1,333	8,006
Total	1,335	1,335	1,335	1,334	1,334	1,333	8,006

Telephone (CATI)

4.15. As with the pilot, prior to the commencement of mainstage Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) fieldwork, interviewers received a briefing on the survey and were issued with written instructions, providing them with an understanding of the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria and the sample design.

4.16. Mainstage CATI fieldwork took place between 28 February and 25 April, 2024. A total of 3,059 interviews were achieved.

4.17. Table 4.8 presents the profile of achieved CATI interviews in terms of sector and size. Table 4.9 presents the profile of achieved CATI interviews by country.

Table 4.8 Achieved CATI mainstage interviews by sector and size

Employer sector	2 to 4	5 to 9	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100 to 249	250+	Total
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	256	58	47	15	7	5	3	391
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	82	38	36	26	14	11	12	219
Manufacturing	39	5	23	18	9	33	18	145
Construction	122	24	28	28	28	23	7	260
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	76	27	20	23	27	36	35	244
Transport & Storage	97	35	29	22	18	25	16	242
Hotels & Restaurants	69	28	43	33	32	27	19	251
Communication	101	28	20	19	6	7	2	183
Financial Intermediation	105	27	24	15	8	7	8	194
Real Estate & Business Activities	213	40	35	38	47	50	47	470
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	38	36	34	24	23	19	26	200
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	95	33	35	22	16	36	23	260
Total	1,293	379	374	283	235	279	216	3,059

Table 4.9 Achieved CATI mainstage interviews by country

Country	Achieved interviews
England	2,795
Scotland	173
Wales	91
Total	3,059

Online

4.18. Mainstage online fieldwork took place between 28 February and 25 April, 2024. On the day of launch all employers sampled for online fieldwork were sent an invitation email. Three reminders were sent to employers that had not engaged with the survey and not opted out of the research. The first was sent 7 days after the initial invitation.

4.19. After the initial reminder email showed a lower-than-expected response rate, the subsequent reminders used a shortened invite, and the subject line was tailored by size of business and by region. The body of the email was also changed to contain a clearer “call to action” for employers to respond. These actions led to a boost in the online response. The second reminder was sent two weeks later and the third was sent three weeks later. A fourth reminder was sent specifically to large employers in order to top up the number of completed interviews for this group. This final reminder was sent one week after the third reminder had been issued.

4.20. A total of 4,947 interviews were achieved. Table 4.10 presents the profile of achieved online surveys in terms of sector and size. Table 4.11 presents the profile of achieved online surveys interviews by country.

Table 4.10 Achieved online mainstage interviews by sector and size

Employer sector	2 to 4	5 to 9	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100 to 249	250+	Total
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	21	23	5	2	4	1	2	58
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	4	12	8	7	10	4	3	48
Manufacturing	116	117	132	97	75	44	16	597
Construction	100	84	125	49	20	14	2	394
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	264	272	205	94	59	33	11	938
Transport & Storage	34	30	36	21	23	9	4	157
Hotels & Restaurants	44	66	97	29	17	10	6	269
Communication	58	46	33	18	10	7	4	176
Financial Intermediation	41	46	29	12	4	5	1	138
Real Estate & Business Activities	338	274	253	141	65	35	17	1,123
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	61	93	160	178	123	79	35	729
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	94	78	75	27	18	19	9	320
Total	1,175	1,141	1,158	675	428	260	110	4,947

Table 4.11 Achieved online mainstage interviews by country

Country	Achieved interviews
England	4,268
Scotland	394
Wales	285
Total	4,947

Response rates

Telephone (CATI)

4.21. Table 4.12 presents the call outcomes for mainstage Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) fieldwork. The effective response rate was 53% and the overall response rate was 5%. The effective response rate is calculated as a proportion of “complete” sample. “Complete” includes those who explicitly either agreed to take part, refused to take part, or agreed to take part then stopped the interview. This does not include all sample where contact was made.

4.22. Response rate varied by size, with the lowest effective response rate for businesses with 250+ staff (42%) and the highest for businesses with 5 to 9 staff (62%). It also varied by sector, with the lowest response rate in the Communication sector (41%), and the highest in Public Administration, Health and Education (68%). By region, the effective response rate was lowest in London (40%) and highest in the South West (61%).

4.23. Dialled records were attempted an average of twice, up to a maximum of 7 times, unless an appointment was made, where calls counts could go beyond this. It is worth noting here that the telephone sample was not fully worked by the end of fieldwork because the telephone targets were reduced, and fieldwork shortened, following the higher online response rate than anticipated.

Table 4.12 CATI mainstage call outcomes

CATI sample outcomes	No. of interviews	% of all sample	% of complete sample
Total sample	64,008	100%	–
Ineligible[footnote 3] (failed screener)	1390	2%	–
Contacted multiple times but without securing an interview	41,562	65%	–
Unobtainable (for example wrong number or dead line)	14,833	23%	–
Out of quota (for example employers with fewer than 2 employees)	445	1%	–
Total complete sample	5,777	9%	100%
Achieved interviews	3,059	5%	53%
Refusals	2,666	4%	46%
Breakdown during interview (the respondent has advanced beyond the screening questions, but decided not to complete the interview)	52	0%	1%

Online

4.24. Table 4.13 presents the outcomes for mainstage online fieldwork. Overall, the response rate was 2% (achieved surveys as a proportion of all employers).

Table 4.13 Online mainstage outcomes

Online sample outcomes	No. of surveys	% of all sample
Total sample	222,059	100%
Ineligible[footnote 4] (failed screener)	273	0.1%
No response	213,913	96%
Out of quota[footnote 5]	n/a	–
Full survey not completed/opt-outs	2,911	1%
Achieved surveys	4,947	2%

Interview / Survey length

4.25. Telephone interviews lasted 21 minutes on average (median 20 minutes). There was some variation between modules, with module C1 being the shortest and C2 being the longest. The length of interview per module is shown in Table 4.14.

4.26. On average, online surveys lasted 14 minutes (median 11 minutes). As with telephone, there was some variation on length between modules.

Table 4.14 Median interview length in minutes by channel and by module

Module	Telephone	Online
Module A1	18	10
Module A2	19	10
Module B1	17	10
Module B2	22	12
Module C1	18	10
Module C2	26	15
Total	20	11

5. Data processing and coding

5.1. Upon fieldwork completion, the data was processed into Excel tables and an SPSS dataset. The data outputs underwent comprehensive checks against the raw data collected to ensure the accuracy of elements such as labelling and base sizes. Summary variables were defined to summarise scale questions or add banding to numeric questions. Excel tables were produced with z and t tests run at the 95% confidence level. After the weights were run, these were checked to ensure weights were not unreasonably large. No weights were trimmed in this research. Weighted data was then compared to the population profile across modules to ensure the correct profile was achieved. A data dictionary was also produced to explain the source of all variables in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) file.

5.2. Coded responses were then added to the data. Any verbatim responses that matched pre-codes in the questionnaire were back coded without being added to the base. Verbatim responses from open questions and questions with “other specify” were coded by IFF Research’s in-house coding team. The team started by producing an interim codeframe after a few weeks of fieldwork. The codeframe was reviewed by the project research team to ensure it answered the question, the codes were of a usable size, and that the codes were specific and did not overlap with one another in their meaning. A random selection of verbatim responses at each question were also reviewed to check the accuracy of the coding. Development proceeded iteratively using this process until a final codeframe was agreed by both teams.

5.3. The codeframe used was consistent with the codeframe used in Wave 1 to facilitate comparison, however where a new code was required this was added to the codeframe. Where respondents explained the main business activity at their organisation, their response was coded to Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes for consistency with the information available in the sample.

Mode effects

5.4. As the research was mixed-mode (both online and telephone), the initial survey design made efforts to reduce mode effects, by, for example, always using “read out” lists, rather than “prompted/unprompted” in the telephone script, which better reflects how the lists are viewed online.

5.5. Mode effects were investigated for a representative selection of questions in the survey. There is some evidence of a mode effect, for example telephone respondents were more likely to say they had heard of a range of measures. However, these differences are difficult to interpret, and may be at least partially driven by the differences in profile of employers who completed a telephone interview compared to the online survey, shown unweighted in Table 5.1.

5.6. A selection of unweighted data from questions where the telephone and online responses are different is shown in Table 5.2.

Table 5.1 Unweighted size profile of employers, by channel

Employer size	Telephone	Online
2 to 4 staff	24%	42%
5 to 9 staff	23%	12%
10 to 24 staff	23%	12%
25 to 49 staff	14%	9%
50 to 99 staff	9%	8%
100 to 249 staff	5%	9%
250+ staff	2%	7%

Table 5.2 Example unweighted response to questions, by channel

Response	Telephone	Online
Agreement with: Workplaces should provide support for employees who are experiencing menopause	77%	58%
Agreement with: Employers have a responsibility to encourage and support employees to be physically and mentally healthy	92%	84%
Before today, had you heard of the following? Skills Bootcamps	18%	11%
Agreement with: has been effective at preventing employee ill-health for company: Health and safety training or guidance	78%	62%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Maintaining reputation	4%	30%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Maintaining or increasing productivity	23%	49%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Helping to satisfy legal obligations	20%	54%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Helping recruitment or retention	12%	43%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Helping to minimise cost	2%	18%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Meeting employee’s expectations	19%	56%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: To provide for staff with long-term illnesses	16%	35%
What are your reasons for providing OH services or VR services for staff?: Duty of care/importance of staff wellbeing	36%	7%

6. Weighting

6.1. As per wave 1, the data collected in the 2024 Employer Survey was weighted to make it representative of the underlying population of employers in Great Britain in terms of business sector, size and country, from the IDBR business population counts.

6.2. Due to the structure of the survey, each module had to be separately weighted to the population profile. Weighting grids were prepared to examine counts in a size by sector grid for each module. Where there were zero businesses in a given cell, the cell was merged with its neighbouring cell by size (e.g. if there were no 250+ businesses, the cell was merged with 100 to 249, to become 100+). The population profile grids were similarly merged to reflect this where necessary, by module. These cell-by-cell weights were then applied by module, along with the overall country weighting. This means that all weighted findings should be representative of the underlying population by size, sector and country.

6.3. Once weights were produced, the individual weights were examined. As a rule of thumb, weights above 5 are too large and are often trimmed if there are too many cases like this. This was not necessary for this research. The weighted profile of the data was compared against the population profile to ensure an accurate fit was achieved.

6.4. Weighting the data was necessary because of the deliberate decision to oversample larger employers and those in smaller sectors in order to enable analysis by these characteristics. Weighting targets were set using IDBR data shown in Tables 6.1 and 6.2.

6.5. Separate weights were calculated for employers allocated each of the 5 different routes through the questionnaire and combined into one weight variable.

Table 6.1 Profile of the underlying population by business size and sector

Employer sector	2 to 4	5 to 9	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100 to 249	250+	Total
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	4.37%	0.73%	0.22%	0.05%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%	5.40%
Mining, Quarrying & Electricity, Gas and Water Supply	0.29%	0.13%	0.09%	0.04%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%	0.59%
Manufacturing	2.70%	1.24%	0.93%	0.40%	0.24%	0.14%	0.08%	5.73%
Construction	9.39%	2.05%	0.94%	0.22%	0.09%	0.04%	0.02%	12.74%
Wholesale, Retail & Motor Trades	9.41%	3.96%	1.94%	0.49%	0.22%	0.11%	0.07%	16.19%
Transport & Storage	2.02%	0.69%	0.39%	0.13%	0.06%	0.04%	0.03%	3.36%
Hotels & Restaurants	4.38%	2.65%	1.92%	0.47%	0.14%	0.06%	0.04%	9.67%
Communication	3.32%	0.73%	0.54%	0.19%	0.10%	0.05%	0.03%	4.96%
Financial Intermediation	0.97%	0.31%	0.17%	0.06%	0.04%	0.03%	0.03%	1.60%
Real Estate & Business Activities	16.84%	4.24%	2.47%	0.69%	0.37%	0.21%	0.15%	24.96%
Public Administration, Defence, Education & Health and Social Work	2.74%	1.50%	1.48%	0.64%	0.36%	0.22%	0.20%	7.15%
Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities	4.93%	1.59%	0.76%	0.20%	0.08%	0.05%	0.03%	7.65%
Total	61.35%	19.83%	11.85%	3.58%	1.75%	0.96%	0.69%	100.00%

Table 6.2 Profile of the underlying population by country

Country	Proportion
England	88.46%
Scotland	7.08%
Wales	4.46%
Total	100.00%

6.6. As a result of adjusting a dataset to make it representative of the underlying population, weighting produces a design effect (1.78), which reduces the effective sample size^{[footnote 6]}. In this instance the effective sample size is 4,499^{[footnote 7]}.

6.7. An effective sample size of 4,499 means that, as a worst-case scenario, findings are accurate to within +/- 1.5% percentage points at the 95% confidence level. This means that if 50% of the effective sample of 4,499 agreed with a statement in the questionnaire, one can be 95% confident that the response from all employers would lie between 48.5% and 51.5%.

6.8. Measuring a margin of error at 50% is referred to as a ‘worst-case scenario’, as the margin of error decreases the closer results approach 0% or 100%. Table 5.3 shows the margin of error for the un-weighted sample and the effective sample of employers to demonstrate how it changes by survey responses.

Table 6.3 Margins of error at the 95% confidence level

Sample	Number of interviews	Margin of error at 50%:50%	Margin of error at 70%:30%	Margin of error at 90%:10%
Unweighted sample employers	8,006	+/- 1.09 pp	+/- 1.00 pp	+/- 0.66 pp
Effective sample of employers	4,499	+/- 1.46 pp	+/- 1.34pp	+/- 0.88 pp

7. Appendices

Appendix A: Survey

Online Survey: Home Page

Welcome!

Thank you in advance for assisting with this research for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

You may know DWP primarily for the work that they do around the administration of state pensions and other benefits such as Universal Credit. They also have a remit that extends to a number of other areas that affect workplaces, including supporting some of the most vulnerable in society to find and stay in work. By participating in this survey you will help DWP to design and refine policies that assist employers on important areas such as recruitment and retention, pensions and workforce health and wellbeing. Please click ‘Next’ below to begin.

For more information on how your data will be used, you can read the survey privacy notice here.

Further information

• The survey is being administered by IFF Research, an independent market research company, on behalf of the DWP.
• The survey should take around 20 minutes to complete, depending on your answers, and you can stop and start as many times as you like, without losing your place (just click on the link in your email to return to the last question you answered).
• When completing the survey please only use the ‘previous’ and ‘next’ buttons at the bottom of the page, not the ‘back’ and ‘forward’ buttons in your browser.
• Any information you give us during this survey will be treated as strictly confidential, in line with the Code of Conduct of the Market Research Society and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). IFF Research will store your personal data in their secure server until the project finishes and no later than July 2024.
• IFF Research will share a copy of your survey data with the DWP for research purposes. This will not include any information that can be used to directly identify you, such as your name or address. A separate file containing personal information will also be shared with the DWP for the purposes of contacting you about taking part in future, related research. This will only be shared with the DWP if you agree to this, and we will ask you about this at the end of the survey.
• You have a right to have a copy of your data, change your data, or withdraw from the research at any point. If you’d like to do this, you can consult our website at: iffresearch.com/gdpr.
• If you have any questions, or you would like more information, please email IFF Research on DWPEmployerSurveyHelpdesk@iffresearch.com.
• If you would like to confirm with DWP that this survey is genuine, please contact the research team on employer.survey@dwp.gov.uk. Before you start, please may you confirm the following statement: By agreeing to take part in this survey I understand how my data will be used and I am happy to proceed.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	Continue
No – I would not like to participate	2	Screen out

S Telephone screener (Ask all)

Ask if CATI

S1. Good morning/afternoon. My name is name and I’m calling on behalf of the Government Department for Work and Pensions. I’m looking to speak to the HR Manager/HR Director (or the person who has the overall responsibility for people management) please?

Add If necessary

I’m calling on behalf of the Government Department for Work and Pensions from IFF Research.

Add If necessary

We have been asked by the DWP to conduct research looking into workplace practices which will help to inform the policies that they put in place to support businesses and jobseekers We will be asking questions on topics such as staffing, pensions and financial inclusion.

Response	Code	Action
Transferred	1	Continue
Hard appointment	2	Make appointment
Soft Appointment	3	Make appointment
Engaged	4	Call back
Refusal	5	Close
Refusal – company policy	6	Close
Refusal – Taken part in recent survey	7	Close
Nobody at site able to answer questions	8	Close
Not available in deadline	9	Close
No reply/Answer phone	10	Close
Residential Number	11	Close
Dead line	12	Close
Company closed	13	Close
Request reassurance email	9	Collect email address then continue or make appointment (see appendix for email text)

Ask if CATI

S2. Good morning / afternoon, my name is name and I’m calling on behalf of the government Department for Work and Pensions from IFF Research.

The reason for my call today is regarding research looking into workplace practices. The DWP would like to improve future policies that help employers and job seekers in several important areas. These areas include recruitment, retention, pensions, and financial inclusion. The questions we want to ask you today are about your company policy and practices, not about you as an individual. Taking only 20 minutes, your participation in this research would be really valuable, if convenient for you we can run through some quick questions together now, please?

Add If necessary: All answers will be held in the strictest confidence by the research team in line with the Code of Conduct of the Market Research Society and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Add If necessary: Alongside the administration of the state pension and Universal Credit, the DWP has a wide remit that extends to other areas that affect workplaces including supporting some of the most vulnerable in society to find and stay in work.

Response	Code	Action
Continue	1	Continue
Referred to someone else at organisation – Name: – Job title:	2	Transfer and re-introduce
Hard appointment	3	Make appointment
Soft appointment	4	Make appointment
Refusal	5	Offer online survey
Refusal – company policy	6	Offer online survey
Refusal – taken part in recent survey	7	Offer online survey
Not available in deadline	8	Offer online survey
Request reassurance email	9	Collect email address then continue or make appointment (See appendix for email text)
Refusal – sole trader (confirm respondent is a sole trader and does not have any employees)	10	Thank you and close

Ask if refused telephone survey S2=5-8

S3. It’s also possible to complete this survey online if this would be better for you. Would you like me to send across the details of how to do that?

Single code

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	Collect email address and send invite email
No	2	Thank you and close

Ask all agreeing to take part (S2 = 1)

S3a. Before we begin, I need to tell you under data protection law that you have the right to have a copy of your data, change your data, or withdraw from the research at any point. If you’d like to do this, or find out more, you can consult our website at iffresearch.com/gdpr.

IFF Research will share a copy of your survey data with the DWP for research purposes. This will not include any information that can be used to directly identify you.

I also need to confirm that you understand how your data will be used, and that you’re happy to proceed on that basis.

In order to guarantee this, and as part of our quality control procedures, all interviews are recorded. Is that OK?

Response	Code	Action
Yes – agree to continue	1	–
Refuse to continue	2	Thank and close

Reassurance to use If necessary

The interview will take around 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Please note that all data will be reported in aggregate form and your answers will not be reported to the DWP any way that would allow you to be identified.

If the respondent wishes to confirm validity of survey or get more information about aims and objectives, they can call:

MRS: Market Research Society on 0800 975 9596
IFF: Ollie Gooding on DWPEmployerSurveyHelpdesk@iffresearch.com or 0800 652 0437.
DWP: Chloe Abbott at employer.survey@dwp.gov.uk

Ask all

S4. How many people work at this organisation? Please include yourself and others on your payroll and any working proprietors or owners, but exclude any self-employed and outside contractor or agency staff.

Interviewer note: non-employees under 16 should be excluded. Those on maternity/paternity or long-term sick should be included. Those on zero-hour contracts should be included. Probe for best estimate and record number

Write in	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	–
Refused	2	–

Ask if don’t know/refuse number of employees (S5=1/2)

S4ran. Would you be able to estimate a range?

Do not read out. Single code. Prompt If necessary.

Ds: code S4 to range

Response	Code	Action
1	1	Thank and close
2 to 4 staff	2	Define quotas from q’aire
5 to 9 staff	3	Define quotas from q’aire
10 to 24 staff	4	Define quotas from q’aire
25 to 49 staff	5	Define quotas from q’aire
50 to 99 staff	6	Define quotas from q’aire
100 to 249 staff	7	Define quotas from q’aire
250+ staff	8	Define quotas from q’aire
Don’t know	9	Take from sample
Refused	10	Take from sample

Ask all

S5. We have [SIC description from sample] as a broad classification for your organisation. Does this sound about right?

Do not read out. Single code

Response	Code
Yes	1
No	2

Ask if disagree with SIC description (S7=2)

S6. How would you describe the main business activity at this organisation?

Interviewer probe for the following – start with first probe and only use the others If necessary to get clear information

What would you type into a search engine to find an organisation like yours online?

What is the main product or service of this organisation?

What exactly is made or done at this organisation?

Write in. To be coded to 4-digit 2007 SIC

Response	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	Thank and close
Prefer not to say	2	Thank and close

Ask all

S7. Would you classify your organisation as …?

Read out. Single code

Response	Code	Action
One mainly seeking to make a profit	1	–
A charity or voluntary sector organisation or a social enterprise	2	–
A local-government financed body – Add If necessary: such as a school or a body delivering leisure, transport, social care, waste or environmental health services	3	–
A central government financed body – Add If necessary: such as the Civil Service, any part of the NHS, a college or university, the Armed Services, an Executive Agency or other non-departmental public bodies	4	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	5	–

Ask all

S8. And which region is the UK head office of your business/organisation located in?

Do not read out. Single code

Add If necessary: If the head office of your business/organisation is overseas, please think about your main office in the UK for this question.

Prompt If necessary

Area	Code	Action
East Midlands	1	–
East of England	2	–
London	3	–
North East	4	–
North West	5	–
South East	6	–
South West	7	–
West Midlands	8	–
Yorkshire and the Humber	9	–
Scotland	10	–
Wales	11	–
Don’t know	12	–
None of the above	13	Thank and close

WoHAD (Ask routes: A1, A2)

Read to all

These first questions are about how you manage the health and wellbeing of the employees in your organisation.

Ask all

A1. Which of the following best describes your organisation?

Single code. Read out

Description	Code	Action
We take action as and when employee health and wellbeing becomes a problem	1	–
We take steps to identify and address employee health and wellbeing issues at the earliest possible opportunity	2	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

A2. Which, if any, of the following do you currently provide to prevent employee ill-health or improve the general health and wellbeing of your workforce?

Multi code. Read out

Provision	Code	Action
Health and safety training or guidance	1	–
Interventions to prevent common health conditions becoming a problem	2	–
Training for line managers on ways to improve employee health and well-being	3	–
Health and wellbeing promotion programmes to improve employees’ physical activity or lifestyle	4	–
An employee assistance programme (EAP) or staff welfare/counselling programmes provided by an external organisation	5	–
Activities to encourage a supportive culture	6	–
Other activities to prevent ill-health/improve wellbeing (specify)	7	–
We currently don’t provide anything	8	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	DS: Make exclusive code

  Ask all

A2aa. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the following measures have been effective at preventing employee ill-health for your company?

Single code. Read out

Online only: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the following measure has been effective at preventing employee ill-health for your company?

Statements shown one-by-one for online

	Strongly disagree	Tend to disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to agree	Strongly agree	Do not read out: Don’t know	Do not read out: Prefer not to say
[Show statements selected at A2]	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
[Show statements selected at A2]	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
[Show statements selected at A2]	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Ask all

A2b. What is currently the most common health and wellbeing issue you are seeking to tackle in your organisation?

Single code. Read out

Health issue	Code	Action
Mental health-related issues	1	–
Musculoskeletal-related issues	2	–
Work-related stress/burnout	3	–
Seasonal illnesses such as colds and flu	4	–
Other health or wellbeing issues (please specify)	5	Write in
We are not currently experiencing any health or wellbeing issues	6	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	DS: Make exclusive code

  Ask all

A3. Thinking about health and safety, disability, and sick leave, how confident does your business feel in applying your legal responsibilities for employees?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Very confident	1	–
Fairly confident	2	–
Neither confident nor unconfident	3	–
Not very confident	4	–
Not confident at all	5	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	–
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	7	–
Do not read out: Unsure what the legal responsibilities are for my business	8	–

If not confident applying legal responsibilities (A3 = 3,4,5)

A4. Which of the following do you think would most help to increase the confidence of your business in applying these legal responsibilities?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Better signposting to information	1	–
Better quality of information provided	2	–
Training for managers	3	–
Practical support and advice in applying legal responsibilities	4	–
Something else	5	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	DS: Make exclusive code

If not confident applying legal responsibilities (A3 = 3,4,5)

A5. Which of the following best describes the reason why you aren’t confident in applying your legal responsibilities?

Single code. Read out DS rotate codes.

Resonse	Code	Action
Don’t know where to find the right information	1	–
The available information is not very helpful	2	–
A lack of expertise or practical support	3	–
It is difficult to apply the legal responsibilities in this business	4	–
Have not yet had to fulfil the legal responsibilities	5	–
A lack of time/other priorities	8	–
Something else	6	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	–

Ask all

A6. Which of the following types of support do you give your employees when they are unable to perform usual tasks due to ill health?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
The ability to work remotely	1	–
Changed duties	2	–
Access to occupational health advice	3	–
Reduced hours	4	–
Flexible hours	10	–
Access to Statutory Sick Pay	5	–
Pay above Statutory Sick Pay	6	–
Something else (please specify)	7	Write in
None of these	8	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	Exclusive

  Ask all

A7. Which of the following does your business/organisation use to manage the return to work after long-term sickness absence?

By long-term sickness absence, we mean employees who are off work sick for a continuous period of 4 weeks or more.

Add If necessary: If your organisation does not currently have employees on long-term sickness absence, please answer based on what your organisation has used before to manage the return to work after long-term sickness absence.

Interviewer note: Exclude hypothetical instances (the below actions need to have been taken by the company at some point in order to be coded)

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
My organisation has never had employees who are on long-term sickness absence	12	DS: Make exclusive code
Phased return to work	1	–
Amended duties	2	–
Altered hours	3	–
Workplace adaptations	4	–
Regular meetings to discuss how the employee is coping	5	–
Develop return to work plans	6	–
External, specialist support to manage the employees’ return	7	–
Referral to specialist treatment (e.g. physiotherapy, counselling)	8	–
Something else	9	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	11	DS: Make exclusive code

Occupational health (route, B1, C1)

Ask all

A12. Does your business/organisation provide access to Occupational Health services or Vocational Rehabilitation services for your employees?

Add If necessary: By Occupational Health we mean teams who focus on managing safety at work and keeping people well – mentally and physically. Occupational Health services can be provided by in-house teams or by external providers. By Vocational Rehabilitation services we mean services that help people overcome health barriers to maintaining work or returning to work after a period of absence.

Does your business…

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Access support from an external provider on an ‘as required’ basis	1	–
Have a long-term contract with an external provider	2	–
Have in-house resource	3	–
Use public sector bodies (e.g. NHS Health at Work Service)	4	–
Not currently utilise occupational health or vocational rehabilitation resources	5	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	Exclusive

Ask if provides access to OH/VR Services (A12=1-4)

A12a. In the last 12 months, which of the following types of Occupational Health support or interventions have you accessed or provided for your employees?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Management referrals, assessments, or case management to support sick or disabled employees (e.g. with advice about workplace adjustments and/or return-to-work plans)	1	–
Health assessment to ensure fitness for role/task	2	–
Health surveillance (for example, regular health checks for employees, usually for those exposed to health risks at work)	3	–
Employee assistance programmes [Add If necessary: (For example, a confidential employee counselling and support service, which provides advice about personal and work-related issues that are impacting employee wellbeing and productivity)]	4	–
Health promotion or healthy lifestyle schemes	5	–
General advice to management about organisational policies or procedures, (For example, sickness absence policy or legal compliance)	6	–
Rehabilitative health services for sick or disabled employees (For example, physiotherapy, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy)	7	–
Workplace or risk assessments	8	–
Other (please specify)	9	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	Exclusive
Do not read out: None of these	11	Exclusive

Ask if provides access to OH/VR Services (A12=1-4)

A14. What are your reasons for providing Occupational Health services or Vocational Rehabilitation services for staff?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Maintaining reputation	1	–
Maintaining or increasing productivity	2	–
Helping to satisfy legal obligations	3	–
Helping recruitment or retention	4	–
Helping to minimise cost	5	–
Meeting employee’s expectations	6	–
To provide for staff with long-term illnesses	9	–
Other (please specify)	7	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	8	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask if does not provide access to OH/VR services (A12=5)

A15. What has prevented your organisation from providing Occupational Health services or Vocational Rehabilitation services for staff?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Cannot afford cost of providing services	1	–
Hard to determine value for money	2	–
Lack of understanding of Occupational Health	4	–
It is beyond my remit as an employer	5	–
Prefer informal approach	6	–
There is limited/no demand for these services within my organisation	10	–
Other (please specify)	7	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	8	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	9	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask if provides access to OH/VR Services (A12=1-4)

A15a. In the last 12 months, how much has your organisation spent on Occupational Health or Vocational Rehabilitation services? Is it…?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Up to £500	1	–
£501 to £1000	2	–
£1,001 to £10,000	3	–
£10,001 to £50,000	4	–
£50,001 to £100,000	5	–
£100,001 to £500,000	6	–
£500,001 or more	7	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	12	Exclusive
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	13	Exclusive

Ask if provides access to OH/VR Services (A12=1-4)

A15b. Over the last 12 months, have you received any recommendations from an Occupational Health adviser following an assessment they conducted for an employee?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if provides access to OH/VR Services (A12=1-4) and has received recommendations in the last 12 months (A15B = 1)

A15c. Thinking about the most recent feedback you received from an Occupational Health adviser about an individual employee, what actions did they advise should be taken?

Add If necessary: If you cannot think of an individual employee, please think about the most recent recommendations you recall receiving from Occupational Health advisers.

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
A phased return to work	1	–
Amended duties or alternative work	2	–
Altered hours	3	–
Workplace adaptations	4	–
Referral to NHS or private healthcare services	6	–
Referral to other specialist support services (e.g. debt management, financial advice)	8	–
Other (please specify)	9	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	Exclusive
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	11	Exclusive

Ask if provides access to OH/VR Services (A12=1-4) and has received recommendations in the last 12 months (A15B = 1)

A15d. Thinking again about the most recent feedback you received from an Occupational Health adviser about an individual employee to what extent were these actions implemented by your organisation?

Please answer honestly. We understand there may be good reasons why recommendations may not be implemented.

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Fully	1	–
Partially	2	–
Not at all	3	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	4	Exclusive
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	5	Exclusive

Ask if action suggestions partially or not at all (A15D = 2 or 3)

A15e. Why were some of these recommendations not implemented?

Multi code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Implementation not practicable	1	–
Recommendation(s) cost too much	2	–
Employee did not want action taken	3	–
Support no longer required (e.g. employee already fully recovered and working, or left the organisation)	4	–
Recommendation(s) would not benefit the employee	6	–
Recommendation(s) still under consideration/ not had the time to implement everything yet	7	–
Not enough detail or guidance was provided	8	–
Other (please specify)	9	Write in
No specific reason	12	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	13	Exclusive
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	14	Exclusive

  Ask all

A15f. Employers can qualify for a tax exemption of up to £500 (per year, per employee) on medical treatments recommended to help their employees return to work. This is applicable to treatments recommended by health professionals within employer-arranged Occupational Health services.

In the last 12 months, approximately how many times have you used this tax exemption?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Not at all and I was not aware of this tax exemption before now	1	–
Not at all and I was previously aware of this tax exemption	2	–
Once	3	–
2 to 5 times	4	–
6 to 10 times	5	–
11 to 50 times	6	–
51 to 100 times	7	–
Over 100 times	8	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	Exclusive
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	10	Exclusive

General WoHAD Continues (Routes A1, A2)

Ask all except if have never had employees on long-term sickness absence (A7=12)

A19. Which, if any, of these barriers does your business or organisation face in supporting employees on long-term sickness absences return to work once they are well enough to do so?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
A lack of expertise or specialist support	1	–
Lack of time or staff resource	2	–
Lack of flexibility in the way work is organised	3	–
Employee engagement in the process	4	–
A lack of capital to invest in support	5	–
A lack of support from senior leaders	6	–
The benefits of investing in retaining an employee don’t warrant the investment	7	–
Other barriers (please specify)	8	Write in
We do not face any barriers	9	DS: Make exclusive coce
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

A20. Which, if any, of these barriers does your business or organisation face in supporting disabled employees or employees with long-term health conditions at work?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
My organisation does not have disabled employees or employees with long-term health conditions	11	DS: Make exclusive code
A lack of expertise or specialist support	1	–
Lack of time or staff resource	2	–
Lack of flexibility in the way work is organised	3	–
Employee engagement in the process	4	–
A lack of capital to invest in support	5	–
A lack of support from senior leaders	6	–
The benefits of investing in retaining an employee don’t warrant the investment	7	–
Other (please specify)	8	Write in
We do not face any barriers	9	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

A21. Do you collect and keep sickness absence data?

Single code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask those who collect sickness absence data (A21 = 1)

A21a. Do you usually record whether an employee’s sickness absence is caused or made worse by work?

Single code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask those who record if absence caused by work (A21A = 1)

A21b. How confident are you that these records reflect all absences caused or made worse by work in your organisation?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Very confident	1	–
Fairly confident	2	–
Neither confident nor unconfident	3	–
Not very confident	4	–
Not confident at all	5	–
Don’t know	6	–

Ask all

A22. Has business productivity been negatively impacted by people working whilst ill in the last year?

Single code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

A23. Does your business have or plan to implement measures to prevent or reduce working while ill?

Single code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

A24. In response to a sickness absence of more than one week would you typically…

Multi code. Read out.

Response	Code	Action
Hire temporary staff	1	–
Allocate tasks to other employees	2	–
Delay delivery of tasks associated with the absent employee	3	–
Something else (please specify)	4	Write in
Do not read out: None of these	5	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

A25. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Single code. Read out

Statement	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	Do not read out: Don’t know	Do not read out: Prefer not to say
1_ Employers have a responsibility to encourage and support employees to be physically and mentally healthy	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2_ The financial benefits of spending money on employee health and wellbeing outweigh the costs	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3_ We know what to do to improve our employees’ health and well-being at work	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4_ We are confident in recruiting disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to our organisation	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

50 plus Choices (ask routes: C2)

Read to all

This next short section of questions is about people aged over 50 in your workforce. As people live and work longer this group are becoming an increasing policy interest.

Ask all

B1. Do you currently employ anyone over the age of 50?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if employ anyone over the age of 50 (B1=1)

B2. What proportion of your employees are aged 50+?

Write in percentage.

Write in %. DS: Make 0-100%

Response	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	–
Prefer not to say	2	–

If don’t know or prefer not to say at B2 (B2=1/2)

B3. Could you estimate a range?

Do not read out. Single code.

DS: Code B2 to range

Response	Code	Action
0 to 9%	1	–
10 to 19%	2	–
20 to 29%	3	–
30 to 39%	4	–
40 to 49%	5	–
50 to 59%	6	–
60 to 69%	7	–
70 to 79%	8	–
80 to 89%	9	–
90 to 100%	10	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	11	–

Ask if employ anyone over the age of 50 (B1=1)

B7. What do you perceive to be the main benefits of having workers aged over 50 in your organisation?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Reliability	1	–
Punctuality	2	–
Experience	3	–
Mentor/provide on the job training to new workers	4	–
Loyalty to company	5	–
Good customer service skills	6	–
Good communication skills	7	–
Good job specific skills	8	–
Motivation/self-motivation	9	–
Ability to cope with stress	10	–
Tend to be more even-tempered	11	–
Productivity	12	–
Other (please specify)	13	Write in
No particular benefits	14	DS: Make exclusive code
Don’t know	15	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask if employ anyone over the age of 50 (B1=1)

B8. What do you perceive to be the main challenges of having workers aged over 50 in your organisation?

Multi code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Out of date skills and qualifications	1	–
Slow to learn new skills/tasks	2	–
Stuck in their ways	3	–
Might retire soon/succession planning problems	4	–
More difficult to manage older workers	5	–
Accommodating caring responsibilities	6	–
Accommodating flexible working requests	7	–
Difficulty with physical aspects	8	–
Difficulty with cognitive aspects	9	–
Motivation	10	–
Health-related absence	11	–
Productivity	12	–
Other (specify)	13	–
No particular challenges	14	DS: Make exclusive code
Don’t know	15	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

These next few questions are about menopause in the workplace. As the impact menopause can have on people’s working lives becomes more understood, this topic is of increasing interest.

B9. Do you have a policy in place to support the wellbeing of people in your organisation who are experiencing menopause?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1
No	2
Don’t know	3

Ask all

B10. Which, if any, of the following types of support do you offer to employees who are transitioning through menopause?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
A Menopause Champion, or other advocate	1	–
A support network or other forum	2	–
Workplace adjustments (e.g., to workload, working pattern)	3	–
An employee assistance programme (EAP), or staff welfare/counselling programme provided by an external organisation	4	–
Signposting to advice and guidance	5	–
Something else (please specify)	6	Write in
None of these	7	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	8	Exclusive

Ask all

B11a. Does your organisation provide training on menopause awareness and how to provide support for those experiencing menopause?

Add If necessary: We specifically want to know about training staff to support others, rather than direct support to staff

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

  Ask all

B12. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

Workplaces should provide support for employees who are experiencing menopause.

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Strongly agree	1	–
Tend to agree	2	–
Neither agree nor disagree	3	–
Tend to disagree	4	–
Strongly disagree	5	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	–
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	7	–

Fit Note (Ask routes: B1, C1)

Read to all

This next short section of questions is about your experience of Fit Notes. Fit Notes are issued by Healthcare Professionals to provide evidence to employers of the advice that they have given patients about their fitness for work.

Add If necessary: Also known as sick notes, fit notes are usually administered by a GP, although they may also be issued by another type of healthcare professional.

Ask all

C1. Before now, had you heard of the Fit Note?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

C2. What evidence of sickness, if any, do you require your employees to provide during sickness absence?

Add If necessary: Occupational Heath comes under ‘other medical evidence required’

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Fit note required after day 7 of sickness absence	1	–
Fit note required on day 7 of sickness absence or earlier	2	–
No fit note required but other medical evidence required (please specify)	5	–
No fit note required and no other medical evidence required	6	–
Other evidence (please specify)	7	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	8	–
Do not read out: None of these	9	–

Ask all

C3. This next question is about a particular type of Fit Note. Over the past 12 months, have you ever been presented with a Fit Note from an employee where their Healthcare Professional had stated that they ‘may be fit for work’ and provided advice on adjustments that might be needed to accommodate them?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if received a maybe fit for work fit note (C3=1)

C4. How helpful have you found the adjustments suggested on these Fit Notes?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Very helpful	1	–
Quite helpful	2	–
Neither helpful nor unhelpful	3	–
Not very helpful	4	–
Not at all helpful	5	–
Do not read out: Not given any suggested adjustments	6	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	–

Ask if suggested adjustments helpful (C4 = 1/2)

C5a. Why have you found the adjustments suggested on these Fit Notes helpful?

Write in.

Response	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	–
Prefer not to say	2	–

Ask if suggested adjustments unhelpful (C4 = 4/5)

C5b. Why have you found the adjustments suggested on these Fit Notes unhelpful?

Write in.

Response	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	–
Prefer not to say	2	–

Mental Health (Ask routes: A1, A2)

Read to all

This next section of questions is about mental health at work.

Ask all

D1. Do you have systems in place for assessing and monitoring the mental wellbeing of employees? Single code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

D4. Do you think workplaces should provide mental health support for their employees?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Access to Work (ask routes: A1, A2)

Ask all

F1. Were you aware before today that the DWP can provide employers with support for employees with health conditions through the Access to Work scheme?

Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme that can help employers support people with a health condition or disability to get or stay in work. For example, this can include providing employees with specialist equipment and assistive software in the workplace, or support with travel costs if public transport cannot be used.

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if aware of the Access to Work Scheme (F1=1)

F2. Have you or one of your employees received support from DWP through the Access to Work scheme?

Single code. Do not read out.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if aware of Access to Work but not had support through it (F2=2)

F3. What are the main reasons you or your employees haven’t received support from Access to Work?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
We don’t have any disabled employees or employees with health conditions who need support to do their job	1	–
We don’t have the resources to part-fund the support on offer	2	–
The support needed was below the financial threshold to be met by Access to Work	5	–
I don’t know enough about the support on offer	6	–
Other (please specify)	3	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	4	DS: Make exclusive code

Disability Confident (ask routes: A1, A2)

Read to all

Next is a few questions about the employment of disabled people.

Ask all

G1. Does your organisation collect information on whether employees are disabled or have a long-term health condition?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

E1a. Is your organisation a member of any diversity and inclusion schemes?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes (please specify)	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

E1b. Does your organisation currently employ anyone with a disability or long-term health condition?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if yes (G1=1)

G1a. Does your organisation collect any of the following information on disability, mental health and wellbeing?

Single code. Read out

Response	Yes	No	Don’t know	Not applicable
1 The type of disabilities or health conditions employees have	1	2	3	4
2 The number of disabled employees by grade	1	2	3	4
3 The progression of disabled employees in your organisation (e.g., number of promotions, reappointments)	1	2	3	4
4 The satisfaction levels of disabled employees in the workplace	1	2	3	4
5 The number of workplace adjustments in place for employees	1	2	3	4

Ask if do not record (G1=2)

G3. What is your reason for not collecting information on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
My organisation does not have enough employees	1	–
This information is collected informally (e.g., through discussions with managers)	2	–
A lack of time or staff resource	3	–
Not thought about doing so	4	–
Other reasons (please specify)	5	Write in
Don’t know	6	Exclusive
Prefer not to say	7	Exclusive

G1=1 If collect disability information

G2. Do you publicly report and publish information on disability, mental health and wellbeing in your organisation (for example, this could be in an annual report or on your website)?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes (please specify)	1	Write in
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask if record but do not report (G1=1 and G2=2)

G4. What is your reason for not reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace?

Multi code. Read out.

Response	Code	Action
My organisation does not have enough employees	1	–
This information is collected informally (e.g., through discussions with managers)	2	–
A lack of time or staff resource	3	–
Not thought about doing so	4	–
Other reasons (please specify)	5	Write in
Don’t know	6	Exclusive
Prefer not to say	7	Exclusive

Show to those who currently employ someone with disability/LTHC (E1B=1)

E6. Thinking about your approach to disabled employees/ staff who have a long term health condition, are you doing any of the following?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Promoting and engaging in diversity and inclusion networks	12	–
Offering mentoring, coaching or buddying for these employees	13	–
Providing workplace adjustments	14	–
Providing accessible communications	15	–
Providing an occupational health service or employee assistance lines for disability concerns or issues	16	–
Other things to support disabled employees/staff who have long-term health conditions in the workplace (please specify)	17	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	10	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	11	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

A8a. If your organisation wanted to find out more information on how to support an employee with a long-term health condition or disability, where would you look for advice?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
GOV.Uk	1	–
Information from professional bodies	2	–
Personal networks or contacts	3	–
In-house HR team	4	–
External HR consultant	5	–
Occupational health/vocational rehabilitation professional or provider	6	–
Information from charities	7	–
HSE website	8	–
ACAS website	9	–
Other (please specify)	10	Write in
Nowhere	11	Exclusive
Don’t know	12	Exclusive

Recruitment and skills (Ask routes: B2, C2)

Read to all

Next is a few questions about recruitment and skills.

Ask all

H1. Has your organisation recruited or tried to recruit staff in the last 12 months?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes – we have recruited	1	–
Yes – we have tried to recruit but have not managed to take on new staff	2	–
No	3	–
Don’t know	4	–

Ask all who have recruited in last 12 months (H1=1)

H8. Over the last year, were there instances where you have tried to recruit but were unable to find a suitable candidate?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Any who have recruited or tried to recruit (H1=1 OR 2)

H11. What are the main barriers to recruitment for your business/organisation?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Low number of applicants with the required skills	1	–
Low number of applicants generally	2	–
Not enough people interested in doing this kind of job	3	–
Lack of work experience the company demands	4	–
Lack of qualifications the company demands	5	–
Low number of applicants with the required attitude, motivation or personality	6	–
Poor terms and conditions (e.g., pay) offered for post	9	–
Remote location/Poor public transport	10	–
Rising costs of recruitment/cannot afford to recruit new staff	11	–
Too much competition from other employers	12	–
We are not looking to recruit new staff	13	Exclusive code
Other (please specify)	14	Write in
There are no barriers to recruitment	15	Exclusive code
Do not read out: Don’t know (Exclusive code)	16	DS: Make exclusive code

If lack of skills is a reason (Lack of skills mentioned at H11 to H11=1)

H10. As lack of skills is a challenge to recruitment for your business/organisation, exactly what skills are lacking?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Lack required technical skills or competencies (e.g. technical or job specific skills, etc)	1	–
Lack required soft/personal skills or competencies (e.g. problem solving, communication or team working skills etc)	2	–
Poor literacy/numeracy skills	3	–
Lack required digital or IT skills	6	–
Other skills (please specify)	4	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	5	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

H12. Over the last year, have you had problems with retaining staff?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

If I had problems with retaining staff (H12=1)

H13. What are the main barriers to retention for your business or organisation?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Poor career progression/lack of prospects	1	–
Lack of training	2	–
Poor terms and conditions (e.g. pay)	3	–
Job entails shift work/unsociable hours	4	–
Jobs are temporary or seasonal	5	–
Jobs offer limited or uncertain hours (e.g. zero hour contracts)	6	–
Jobs do not cater for flexible working	7	–
Remote location/poor public transport	8	–
Something else (please specify)	9	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	11	DS: Make exclusive code

Employers’ perceptions / disadvantaged groups (Ask routes: B2, C2)

Read to all

These next few questions relate to your experience of schemes run by the DWP or Jobcentre Plus (JCP).

Ask all

I1. In the past 12 months, have you through the DWP or JCP…?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
‘Tested’ how well an individual would fit into your workplace through a Work Trial?	2	–
Provided a period of work experience to an individual who was unemployed?	3	–
Worked with DWP or JCP on designing pre-employment training for individuals who are unemployed but looking to enter work in your sector?	4	–
Received a payment or subsidy for recruiting a young disabled person with complex support needs	5	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	7	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

I2. Do you currently employ anybody through any Government schemes?

Single code. Do not read out

If necessary: By government scheme we mean things like sector based work academies programme (SWAPs), Work Trials, skills bootcamps and Apprenticeships.

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1
No	2
Don’t know	3

If do not employ anybody on government schemes (I2=2)

I3. Why have you not employed anyone through any Government schemes?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Increased poor quality job applications	1	–
Increase in token job applications	2	–
Increase in extra hours requests	3	–
Increase in admin costs	4	–
Increase in the volume of payslip queries	5	–
I do not know enough about the Government schemes	9	DS: Make exclusive code
I am not aware of any Government schemes	10	DS: Make exclusive code
Other (please specify)	6	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	8	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

I4. Before today, had you heard of the following?

Single code. Read out

Programme	Yes	No	Don’t Know
1 Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)	1	2	3
2 JCP/DWP Work trial programme	1	2	3
4 Apprenticeships	1	2	3
Show to England respondents only – 5 Skills Bootcamps	1	2	3

If you have heard of SWAPS, Work Trials, T-Levels or Apprenticeships (I4_X=1)

I5. Have you recruited through any of the following?

Single code. Read out DS – only ask about programmes mentioned at I4

Programme	Yes	No	Don’t Know
1 Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)	1	2	3
2 JCP/DWP Work trial programme	1	2	3
4 Apprenticeships	1	2	3
Show to England respondents only – 5 Skills Bootcamps	1	2	3

If have recruited through SWAPS, Work Trials, Traineeships or Apprenticeships (I5_X=1)

I6. Thinking about the individuals on these programmes, were these candidates job-ready when they joined your organisation?

Single code. Read out DS: Show only those selected at I5

Programme	Yes	No	Don’t Know
1 Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)	1	2	3
2 JCP/DWP Work trial programme	1	2	3
4 Apprenticeships	1	2	3
Show to England respondents only – 5 Skills Bootcamps	1	2	3

If you have heard of SWAPS, Work Trials, T-Levels or Apprenticeships (I4_X=1)

I7. How likely are you to make use of the following in the next 12 months on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is very unlikely and 5 is very likely?

Single code. Read out DS only show for those they have heard of: If I4_X=1

Programme	Very unlikely	Unlikely	Not sure	Likely	Very likely	Don’t Know
1 Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)	1	2	3	4	5	6
2 JCP/DWP Work trial programme	1	2	3	4	5	6
4 Apprenticeships	1	2	3	4	5	6
Show to England respondents only – 5 Skills Bootcamps	1	2	3	4	5

If unlikely to use any scheme (I7_X=1-2)

I8. Why are you unlikely to engage with [insert iteration text]?

DS Repeat for all iterations at I7_X=1-2

Write in

Response	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	–
Prefer not to say	2	–

Employee progression (Ask routes: B2, C2)

Read to all

We now have a few questions about progression at work.

Ask all

J1. Are you monitoring the earnings progression of your employees?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

J2. Do you have the following for all members of staff…

Multicode. Read out

Response	Code	Action
1 Individualised progression and learning plans	1	–
2 Mentoring	2	–
3 Shadowing and work experience	3	–
4 Supporting professional development	4	–
5 Other things to help people progress in work (please specify)	5 Write in
Don’t know	6	–

Ask all

J3. Is there a transparent progression pathway in your own company ensuring entry level jobs are a stepping stone to higher paid work?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

J4. Do you encourage your employees to upskill/undertake learning activities (e.g. time to access training courses)?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

J5. Do you have any HR or senior leadership-level responsibility for embedding progression of staff into working practice? If your organisation does not have a HR department, does someone at your organisation have formal responsibility for considering staff progression in your working practices?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

J6. Do you provide training courses for your employees?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

J7. What additional support or guidance, if any, would help you progress staff?

Multi code. Read out

Support or guidance	Code	Action
Advice on how to offer career conversations and development discussions	1	–
Possible funding pots that employers can draw on to support training and progression	2	–
Clear signposting to advice and guidance support	3	–
Link person within Jobcentre Plus that employers can approach	4	–
Other (please specify)	5	Write in
Do not read out: None	6	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

J8. Thinking about your organisation, what percentage of employees are in roles that could be considered “green jobs”?

Green jobs are those that work to reduce net carbon emissions and/or help protect the environment. This includes direct roles such as heat pump installers and forestry operatives, and indirect roles such as admin workers supporting green activities. This would not include generic company wide “green” initiatives such as recycling or reducing energy use.

Add If necessary or dropdown online: Examples of green jobs

Direct roles:

Recycling operative
Retrofitter
Ecologist
Heat Pump installer
Smart meter operative
Countryside ranger

Indirect roles:

Business analyst – providing solutions that take into account environmental impact on a business
Data scientist – to reduce energy a company uses
Carpenter – working with sustainable materials or on an environmental project

Write in

Response	Code	Action
Do not read out: Don’t know	1	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	2	DS: Make exclusive code

If don’t know exact number – prompt with ranges

Response	Code	Action
None	1	–
1 to 5%	2	–
6 to 10%	3	–
11 to 15%	4	–
16 to 20%	5	–
More than 20%	6	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	–

Interaction with DWP/JCP (Ask routes: B2, C2)

Ask all

K1. In the last 12 months, have you made contact or obtained information from the Department for Work and Pensions about any of the following issues. Please include contact by telephone, post, e-mail or online.

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
1 Access to Work	1	–
2 Apprenticeships	2	–
3 Disability Confident	3	–
4 Inclusive recruitment support 4	–
6 Mentoring Circles	6	–
7 Positive Action	7	–
8 Reasonable Adjustments	8	–
9 Redundancy Support	9	–
11 Universal Credit	11	–
12 Workplace pensions	12	–
13 Sector based work academies programme (SWAPs)	13	–
14 Work experience	14	–
15 DWP Work trial programme	15	–
16 Advertising a job through DWP online services	16	–
17 Child maintenance	17	–
21 In-work progression	21	–
18 Other (please specify)	18	Write in
Do not read out: None of the above – no contact with DWP	19	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	20	Exclusive

Ask if contacted DWP about more than one issue (more than 1 code selected at K1)

K1a. And which of those issues was your most recent contact about?

Single code. Prompt to code

Response	Code	Action
1 Access to Work	1	–
2 Apprenticeships	2	–
3 Disability Confident	3	–
4 Inclusive recruitment support	4	–
6 Mentoring Circles	6	–
7 Positive Action	7	–
8 Reasonable Adjustments	8	–
9 Redundancy Support	9	–
11 Universal Credit	11	–
12 Workplace pensions	12	–
13 Sector based work academies programme (SWAPs)	13	–
14 Work experience	14	–
15 DWP Work trial programme	15	–
16 Advertising a job through DWP online services	16	–
17 Child maintenance	17	–
21 In-work progression	21	–
18 Other (please specify)	18	[pipe text from K1]
Do not read out: Don’t know	20	Exclusive

If made any contact with DWP (K1_X=1)

K2. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way your query was dealt with by DWP on this most recent occasion? Please give a rating out of 10 where one is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied.

Single code

	Extremely dissatisfied	Fairly dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	More disatisfied than satisfied	Not sure	Not sure	More satisfied than disatisfied	Satisfied	Fairly satisfied	Extremely satisfied	Don’t know
1 How satisfied were you with the way your query was dealt with	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Diversity (ASK ROUTES: B2 AND C2)

Read to all

This next short section is about diversity in the workplace.

Ask all

L1. Do you monitor the diversity of your workforce?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

If monitor diversity of workforce (L1=1)

L2. Is this broken down by grade/level of seniority?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask all

L3. Do you actively seek to ensure your workforce is diverse in terms of personal characteristics (e.g. ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background)?

Single code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes, through internal regulations on recruitment	1	–
Yes, through diverse recruitment panels	2	–
No	3	–
Other (please specify)	4	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	5	–
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	6	–

  Ask all

L4. What benefits, if any, do you see in employing a diverse workforce in terms of personal characteristics (e.g. ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background)?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
No benefits	1	DS: Make exclusive code
Increased innovation	2	–
Enhanced productivity	3	–
Improved company culture	4	–
Greater employee retention	5	–
Better understanding of your customers	6	–
Wider talent pool to pick from	7	–
Positive branding for your company/organisation	8	–
Other	12	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	10	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	11	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

L5. What barriers if any, do you see in employing a diverse workforce in terms of personal characteristics (e.g. ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background)?

Multi code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
No barriers	1	DS: Make exclusive code
Gaps in experience and/or qualifications	2	–
Diverse individuals don’t apply as often	3	–
Our organisation is located in an area with a low BAME population	4	–
Organisation is resistant to change	5	–
Lack of technology to support employing a diverse workforce	6	–
Language barriers	7	–
Other	8	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	10	DS: Make exclusive code

Disadvantaged groups (ask routes: B2, C2)

Read to all

The next set of questions are about disadvantaged groups. By disadvantaged groups we mean individuals who may be disadvantaged in the labour market, including those who have experience of homelessness, prison leavers, people with drug and/or alcohol dependency, care leavers, or ex-armed forces.

Ask all

M1. In your organisation currently, which of the following applies for disadvantaged groups?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
We receive applications from disadvantaged groups	1	–
We interview people from disadvantaged groups	2	–
We employ people from disadvantaged groups	3	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	4	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	5	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all not currently employing people from disadvantaged groups (M1 not 3)

M3. What would help or encourage you to consider employing people from disadvantaged groups?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Better understanding of the ‘benefits’ of employing people from these groups	1	–
Information on how to reach/engage with people from these groups	2	–
Hearing from other organisations who already employ people from these groups	3	–
Support from Jobcentre Plus for you as an employer	4	–
In work support provided by the Jobcentre to the employee	5	–
Mentoring support for the employee provided externally	6	–
Buddying support for you as an employer from another company with a history of employing individuals with complex barriers	7	–
Positive promotion of your company	8	–
A financial subsidy	9	–
Other (please specify)	12	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	11	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

M3. Are there specific barriers that would make you less likely to employ someone from a disadvantaged group?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
A criminal record	1	–
A mental health condition	2	–
A physical health condition	10	–
Drug or alcohol dependency and in recovery and/or receiving treatment	3	–
Unstable or unsettled accommodation	4	–
Lack of access to IT equipment and/or internet	5	–
Lack of education/skills	6	–
Other	11	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	8	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	9	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

M4. Are there specific groups you would have a keen interest in supporting into employment?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Individuals experiencing homelessness	1	–
Prison leavers	2	–
People with drug/alcohol dependency	3	–
Care leavers	4	–
Ex-armed forces	5	–
Do not read out: None of these	6	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	DS: Make exclusive code

Employer benefits (ask routes: B1 AND C1)

Ask all

N1. Do you offer any of the following fringe benefits to employees? Multi code. Read out.

Response	Code	Action
Accommodation/rent subsidies	1	–
Access to savings schemes/affordable credit	2	–
Affordable loans	3	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	4	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: None of these	5	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

[Moved to pensions section]

Workplace Pensions (ask routes: B1 AND C1)

Read to all

Under the Pensions Act 2008 every employer in the UK must put certain staff into a workplace pension scheme and contribute toward it. This is called automatic enrolment. These questions are about the pension scheme offered at your workplace.

Ask all

P1. As part of your Automatic Enrolment duties you will have chosen a pension provider and scheme for your employees to save into. We would like to know more about what type of pension scheme that is.

What type of pension scheme do you contribute to for the majority of new employees?

Single code. Read out

Pension scheme	Code	Action
Defined Contribution (money purchase scheme). Add If necessary: In these schemes the amount of money employees will get at retirement is not guaranteed, it depends on how much they have contributed and how well their investments have done.	1	–
Defined Benefit. Add If necessary: In these schemes the amount of money employees receive in their retirement pension is guaranteed and linked to how long they have worked for you.	2	–
Other (please specify)	3	Write in
Do not read out: No pension scheme	4	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	5	–
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	6	–

Ask all except no pension (P1=4)

P4. In the last financial year, have you automatically enrolled workers in any of the following categories into this scheme:

Single code. Read out

Add If necessary: Please answer regardless of contract type (e.g. the employee could be on a zero-hour contract).

Contract	Yes	No	Don’t Know
1 Those aged 18 to 21	1	2	3
2 Those earning under £10,000 a year/£830 a month / £195 a week	1	2	3
3 Those aged above State Pension Age	1	2	3

Ask all

P5. In the future, there may be increases to pension contribution levels that employers have to pay.

[If online: Below is] [If CATI: I am going to read out] a list of some things organisations might do to manage these increases. Please [If online: indicate] [If CAT: tell me] if your organisation would be likely to do any of the following as part of a strategy to respond to any increased cost. Would you…

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Absorb the increases as part of other overheads	1	–
Take a reduction on profits	2	–
Increase prices	3	–
Lower wage increases	4	–
Change the existing pension scheme	5	–
Re-structure/reduce the workforce	6	–
Reduce the contribution levels for existing members prior to reforms happening	7	–
Other (please specify)	8	Write in
Do not read out: None of these	–	Exclusive
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	Exclusive
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	10	Exclusive

Ask all except no pension (P1=4)

O1. We would like to know more about why you chose the provider and scheme(s) that you offer.

What factors did you take into consideration when you chose a pension provider and scheme for your employees? Please choose all that apply.

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
The fees or costs on you (the employer)	1	–
The fees or costs on your employees	2	–
The ease or convenience of the provider or scheme(s)	3	–
The value for money of the provider or scheme(s) for you	4	–
The value for members/your employees of the provider or scheme(s)	5	–
A previous relationship with the provider	6	–
The investment outcomes of the scheme(s)	7	–
The governance of the scheme(s)	8	–
Advice from a professional body, colleagues or fellow employers (more formal advice). Add If necessary: This includes advice from an accountant.	9	–
Advice from friends or families (less formal advice)	10	–
Other (please specify)	11	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	12	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all except no pension (P1=4)

O2. Have you ever switched or thought about switching from your pension provider?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes – I have switched provider once	1	–
Yes – I have switched provider more than once	2	–
Yes – I have thought about switching but not done it	3	–
No – I have not switched (but would know how to if I wanted)	4	–
No – I have not switched and wouldn’t know how to switch providers	5	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all who have switched provider (O2=1 or 2)

O3. What factors contributed to this decision to switch? Please choose all that apply:

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
The fees or costs on you (the employer)	1	–
The fees or costs on your employees	2	–
The ease or convenience of the provider or scheme(s)	3	–
The value for money of the provider or scheme(s) for you	4	–
The value for members/your employees of the provider or scheme(s)	6	–
The investment outcomes of the scheme(s)	7	–
The governance of the scheme(s)	8	–
Advice received from others, such as a professional body, colleagues, fellow employers or from friends or families	9	–
Other	11	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	12	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all who haven’t switched provide (O2=3, O2=4 OR O2=5)

O3aa. And are there circumstances under which you would consider switching your pension provider?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask those who would consider switching (O3AA=1)

O3a. What factors would encourage you to consider switching pension provider?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Concern about the current fees or costs on you (the employer)	1	–
Concern about the fees or costs on your employees	2	–
Concern about the ease or convenience of the provider or scheme(s)	3	–
Concern about the value for money of the provider or scheme(s) for you	4	–
Concern about the value for members/your employees of the provider or scheme(s)	5	–
Concern about the investment outcomes of the scheme(s)	6	–
Concern about the governance of the scheme(s)	7	–
Advice received from others, such as a professional body, colleagues,fellow employers or from friends or families	8	–
Other	9	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	DS: Make exclusive code

Ask all

O3b. Have you offered information or guidance on the State Pension to your employees in any of the following ways?

Multi code. Read out

Guidance	Code	Action
Advised employees of their State Pension age	1	–
Signposted employees to the Check your State Pension website	2	–
Notified employees that they may be able to buy additional qualifying years	3	–
We offer information or guidance on this another way	4	–
We do not provide information or guidance on this	5	(Exclusive code)
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	(Exclusive code)

Ask all

O3ba. Have you offered any information or guidance on preparing for retirement to your employees?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask those who have offered guidance on retirement (O3BA=1)

O3cnw. Has your company offered information or guidance on preparing for retirement to your employees in any of the following ways?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
Mid-life MOT	1	–
Employer arranged events (e.g., courses, workshops, seminars)	2	–
Written communication (e.g., posters, leaflets)	3	–
Company intranet	4	–
Signposting to Government sites	5	–
Signposting to MoneyHelper (including Pension Wise)	6	–
Signposting to other external organisation(s) (please specify)	7	Write in
We offer information or guidance on this another way	8	–
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	(Exclusive code)

Ask all

O3ca. Have you experienced any barriers in providing information and guidance on preparing for retirement to your employees?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

Ask those who experienced barriers (O3CA=1)

O3d. What barriers do you see in providing information and guidance on preparing for retirement to your employees?

Multi code. Read out

Barrier	Code	Action
We don’t want to provide incorrect information and guidance	1	–
We don’t know what information and guidance to provide	2	–
It is costly	3	–
We do not have the staffing resource	4	–
It is not our role, it is the individual’s role	5	–
It is not our role, it is the pension provider’s role	6	–
It is not our role, it is the government’s role	7	–
Other (please specify)	8	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	9	(Exclusive code)

Ask all who provide any advice to employees (O3B = 1, 2, 3, or 4 or O3BA = 1)

O3e. You mentioned you provide [If O3b = 1, 2, 3 OR 4: information on the State pension] [If both O3b = 1, 2, 3 or 4 and O3BA = 1: and] [if O3ba= 1: information on preparing for retirement] to your employees.

When do you provide this information or guidance?

Multi code. Read out

Response	Code	Action
On a regular basis (e.g., annually)	1	–
When an employee changes job (e.g., joins the company, gets a promotion)	2	–
When working arrangements change (e.g., a change in hours, parental leave)	3	–
At a specific employee tenure (e.g., working for your organisation for X amount of time)	4	–
At key employee life events (e.g., becoming a parent)	5	–
At specific employee ages	6	–
On request	7	–
Other (please specify)	8	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	10	(Exclusive code)

Ask all

P1aa. Do you offer your employees any flexibilities in how they can receive pension-related contributions?

Single code. Do not read out

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–
Don’t know	3	–

If offer flexibilities in receiving pension (P1AA=1)

P1a. Do you offer your employees any of the following flexibilities in how they can receive pension-related contributions?

Multi code. Read out

Flexibility	Code	Action
The matching of contribution rates for any additional voluntary contributions employees make to their pension	1	–
Employee salary sacrifice for pensions	2	–
Employer-only contributions	3	–
Cash alternatives to pension contributions	4	–
Other (please specify) Write in	5	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	6	DS: Make exclusive code
Do not read out: Prefer not to say	7	DS: Make exclusive code

  Ask all

N2. Do you offer your employees any of these financial assistance/support initiatives?

Multi code. Read out

Initiative	Code	Action
Savings scheme where deductions are made via payroll	1	–
Advances. Add If necessary: A salary advance lets employees access a portion of their earned salary before it’s due to be paid.	2	–
Earned Wage Access (early access to pay, often for a small fee)	3	–
Other types of support (please specify)	4	Write in
Do not read out: Don’t know	5	Exclusive
Do not read out: None of these	6	Exclusive

Workplace pensions

Ask all

[Moved to previous section]
[Moved to previous section]
[Moved to previous section]
[Moved to previous section]
[Moved to previous section]

Flexible working ask routes B2 and C2

Ask all

Q1. Do you offer to employees at your organisation any of the following working time arrangements…?

Multi code. Read out

Arrangement	Yes	No	Don’t Know
1_Flexibility in working hours	1	2	3
2_Flexitime (where an employee has no set start or finish time but an agreement to work a set number of hours per week or per month)	1	2	3
3_Hybrid working (where an employee can spend some of their time working remotely and some in your organisation’s workspace)	1	2	3
4_Home working (working at or from Home in normal working hours)	1	2	3
5_Compressed hours (working contracted hours over a reduced number of days)	1	2	3
6_Job sharing schemes (sharing a fulltime job with another employee)	1	2	3
7_The ability to reduce working hours (e.g., switching from fulltime to part time employment)	1	2	3
8_Part time working (working less than fulltime hours, usually by working fewer days)	1	2	3
9_In another way	1 Write in	2	3

Ask if offer employees another type of working time arrangement (Q1_9=1)

Q1a. You said you offer employees another type of working time arrangement. Please describe this [If online: below].

Write in.

Response	Code	Action
Don’t know	1	–
Prefer not to say	2	–

  Ask for each option selected at Q1

Q2. In general, is the option of [Insert short response option] available to the following groups?

Multi code. Read out

Note to interviewer: ‘All employees’ cannot be combined with other codes.

Group	Code	Action
All employees	1	(Exclusive code)
Employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions/illness	3	–
Employees who look after, or give help or support to someone else, due to ill health or problems related to old age	4	–
Employees approaching and considering retirement	5	–
Do not read out: None of these	6	(Exclusive code)
Do not read out: Don’t know	7	(Exclusive code)

Ask if Q1=10 (None of these)

Q3. Is there anything in particular stopping you from having any of these policies in place?

Multi code. Do not read out

Barrier	Code	Action
Too costly	1	–
Not compatible with the type of job roles/work involved	2	–
Employees do not want these options	3	–
There are not any benefits to our business	4	–
It is managed by line managers on a case-by-case basis	5	–
Other (please specify) (Write in)	6	–
No barriers (Exclusive code)	7	(Exclusive code)
Don’t know	8	(Exclusive code)

Closing (Ask all)

If phone interview. Interviewer record respondent details

Detail	Response
Name:	Allow refuse option
Job title:	Allow refuse option
Email address:	Allow refuse option

Ask all

Thank you very much for taking the time to [If online: complete this survey] [If CATI: speak to me] today. Would you be willing for IFF Research to re-contact you regarding this particular study, if we need to clarify any of the information you provided?

Do not read out. Single code

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–

Ask all

This study was commissioned and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP may wish to carry out follow-up research on this topic sometime in the next two years.

Would you be willing for IFF Research to share your name, telephone number and/or email address with the DWP to allow them and their agents or research partners to contact you again for follow-up research?

If you agree that your contact details can be shared with DWP for future research purposes, DWP will retain your details until June 2026, after which time they will be securely deleted.

Add If necessary: The DWP may share these details with research agencies appointed to carry out this follow-up research on their behalf. If you agree to be re-contacted by the DWP or their partners, IFF Research will forward your name and telephone number and/or email address. Please be assured that your name and telephone number and/or email address will be held securely by the above organisations and will only be used for research purposes if follow-up research is done. This information will not be used for commercial purposes.

Do not read out. Single code

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–

Ask all who agree to share contact details (R3=1)

In order to help ensure we speak to the most relevant people in any follow-up research, the DWP would like to link your survey responses to your personal contact details. Would you be willing for IFF research to share your survey responses with DWP in a way that they may be linked to your personal contact details?

Add If necessary: If you agree to share your survey responses and contact details, IFF Research will forward your name and telephone number and/or email address, alongside any relevant survey responses to the DWP. Please be assured that your name, email address and survey responses will be held securely by the above organisations and will only be used for research purposes if follow-up research is done. If you agree that your contact details can be shared with DWP for future research purposes, DWP will retain your details until June 2026, after which time it will be securely deleted. This information will not be used for commercial purposes.

Do not read out. Single code

Response	Code	Action
Yes	1	–
No	2	–

If online and consent to recontact (R2=1 or R3=1 or R6=1)

R5. What are the best details to reach you on?

Detail	Response
E-mail address	–
Telephone number	–

Thank respondent and close interview

Finally I would just like to confirm that this survey has been carried out under IFF instructions and within the rules of the MRS Code of Conduct. Thank you very much for your help today.

1. See DWP Employer Survey 2022 ↩

2. The IDBR is published by the ONS. ↩

3. These records failed the screener at S2 or S4 (sole trader), S6 (said Don’t know to main business activity) or S8 (UK head office) ↩

4. These records failed the screener at S2 or S4 (sole trader), S6 (said Don’t know to main business activity) or S8 (UK head office) ↩

5. To maximise the total response rate, online completes were not stopped when a target was reached. ↩

6. See Effective sample size ↩

7. See Effective sample size ↩