“Sick Note Culture”
Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest there are currently 2.8 million people who are ‘economically inactive’ due to long-term sickness. One of the key contributors to this is the decline in health among the workforce, made worse by conditions such as long covid and poor mental health.
On 19th April 2024, the Prime Minister announced a plan to overhaul benefits and review the fit note system. This comes after 11 million fit notes were issued last year with 94% written off as unfit to work amid what Rishi Sunak described as a ‘sick note culture’. The plans aim to ensure that people who are fit to work receive the right support and ensure they are not left behind on the benefits system.
It is important that employers do what they can to promote wellbeing and support employees to remain in the workplace. Here are some supportive measures employers can take to help employees to stay in work.
1. Encourage
To support employees, you may encourage them to seek out counselling or aid from your employee assistance programme or other support that is available. By providing the support they need, you will protect employee wellbeing and help employees to stay in employment.
2. Educate
Educating employees on mental health and the early signs of burnout is vital in the creation of a positive and supportive work environment. By promoting awareness and signposting to resources, organizations can help prevent health related staff absences because employees will know how and when to get the support they need.
3. Accommodate
Making reasonable adjustments can help employees to stay in work while recovering from or managing a mental health condition. Reasonable adjustments can cover any area of work. Some examples might include; making changes to working hours and patterns or working arrangements or finding a different way of doing something.
4. Review
Review your company’s sick pay policy to ensure that it is fit for purpose and providing adequate support for employees. If you offer benefits, you could consider adding wellbeing initiatives to the package.