Abstract

Background There are currently 2.5 million people economically inactive in the UK due to sickness. The government is considering a range of new initiatives to bring them back into the workforce; however, a lack of occupational health (OH) professionals, who play an important part in the recovery of physical and mental conditions that would otherwise inhibit employees from working, is hindering these efforts. Aims To identify factors that make OH attractive as a source of employment with the aim of assisting those undertaking recruitment to the specialism. Methods We conducted a qualitative study comparing the views of 13 OH nurses and doctors (‘insiders’) and 45 students and professionals from other medical and nursing fields (‘outsiders’) across the UK. Both groups provided their perceptions about what makes OH an attractive career. Data collection involved a mix of interviews and focus groups conducted from March to July 2023. Transcripts were thematically analysed using NVivo 14 to manage the data. Results Both groups highly valued the work-life balance offered by OH work, which represents a positive point of attraction to employment. In addition, people working in OH talked extensively about more intrinsic rewards—the opportunity to be impactful, to enjoy job variety and to practise preventative approaches. Conclusions The intrinsic rewards that OH work brings need to be advertised more widely to attract potential recruits who are ‘a good fit’ to OH and will be committed to the field.