Stephen is Head of HR Research Development at the Institute for Employment Studies and an Honorary Professor at Lancaster University. Stephen has conducted research on high-performance work practices, employee reward strategy, staff engagement and retention and Good Work.
He has a special interest in workforce health and wellbeing, leading a number of national and international projects focusing on workforce health and the impact of chronic illness on productivity and social inclusion. He is an advisor to a number of UK government departments and has advised employers and policymakers in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australasia and North America.
In 2014 he was named the 6th most influential HR thinker in the UK. Stephen is a reviewer for several academic journals, including The Lancet, a regular columnist for HR Magazine, a judge at the Global Healthy Workplace Awards and is a member of Public Health England’s Health & Work Advisory Board and the DWP's Ministerial Advisory Group on Mental Health and Employment.