Bosses To Blame For Sicknote Britain

New research by Norwich Union Healthcare reveals that a third (34%) of UK GPs have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people needing to be signed off work for seven days or more. According to GPs, employers themselves

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New research by Norwich Union Healthcare reveals that a third (34%) of UK GPs have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people needing to be signed off work for seven days or more. According to GPs, employers themselves are at fault with nine out of 10 doctors (94%) blaming companies for failing to take responsibility for their employees’ health and wellbeing.

Ill health and absenteeism currently cost UK businesses 13bn a year and doctors predict that that is set to soar unless employers take urgent action to help workers manage their health. HR directors report that the major health problems affecting workers are stress (76%), back problems (63%) and depression (57%) – all issues that can be caused or exacerbated by the working environment.

Norwich Union Healthcare’s Health of the Workplace report, which surveyed employers and GPs across the country, stresses that employee health has a significant impact on the bottom line of an organisation. The effects of absences can be especially damaging when key staff are off sick. Forty-two percent of companies have said they have struggled with key members of staff being off for long periods of time, causing widespread disruption. 68% say this has lead to overstretched teams, 64% say teams lack leadership and direction as a consequence, 45% believe it caused morale problems and resentment, and 31% say key accounts or clients were put in jeopardy.

In spite of the clear business need, Norwich Union Healthcare’s Health of the Workplace Report also uncovers a worrying conflict on the part of UK businesses to the health and wellbeing of their staff. Only 38% of UK companies see employee wellbeing as an HR priority and 40% of companies ignore it completely as they do not have any system in place for health management.

One explanation for the lack of investment in this area is that many (43%) UK companies choose to manage health issues on a case-by-case basis. The report suggests that this is a risky short-term strategy and almost half of the companies (46%) admit they don’t invest enough time or resources in pre-empting sickness. Moreover, 70% of companies do not see employees’ health as their responsibility.

GPs have a clear view on where the responsibility lies. On top of the vast majority (94%) who believe that firms don’t do enough to prevent workers falling ill, the same number blame companies for failing those staff who are ill and not doing enough to help them back to work. Furthermore, doctors are concerned that inadequate NHS frontline services for conditions, such as depression, leave employees with nowhere to turn.

With the government seeking to reform sickness benefits through the Welfare Reform Bill introduced last week, GPs and employers will be coming under increased pressure to act in this area over the next year. Norwich Union Healthcare is urging businesses to act now to avoid the crippling effect of rising sickness and absence rates.

“These figures show that the system is failing workers,” says Tim Baker, director at Norwich Union Healthcare. “Greater co-operation is needed between GPs and employers to find a solution to rising illness caused at work. Businesses must look to the many examples that exist within both the public and private sector of organisations, such as the Royal Mail and Rolls Royce, which have actively promoted a healthy workplace and proactively managed adverse health effects and consequently achieved a reduction in absence and ill health and increases in productivity.

“Businesses and GPs must not blame one another and each bear responsibility for tackling the problems of employee ill health. Grasping the issue and adopting a joined up approach between stakeholders means that also the widespread benefits of tackling the issues can be shared.”

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