Employers need to undertake a ‘step-change’ in how they manage and prevent employee sickness, according to the President of the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM).
Responding to recent data from the annual Health and Wellbeing at Work report, which shows that the average UK employee took almost two full working weeks off sick in the past year, Professor Neil Greenberg said employers need to recognise that the value of occupational health services goes far beyond simply supporting employees who are unwell. Professor Neil Greenberg commented:
“Too often employees have to be absent for a defined period – often many weeks – before even being referred to occupational health, That is a missed opportunity. Waiting weeks before making a referral often means that employees’ health problems are more complex and difficult to manage when they see an occupational health professional. This can lead to undesirable outcomes such as being forced out of work or an early, medical retirement much more likely.”
He added that, with the government’s ‘Keep Britain Working’ review of workplace health provision expected to report this autumn, now is the time for employers to use occupational health services more effectively.
“The government is desperate to reduce the number of people falling out of the workplace because of ill health which is bad for the economy and adds to our rising welfare benefits bill. Most of all, it is damaging for individuals themselves no longer being productive, independent or able to support themselves or their families. If employees with developing health problems can be seen by occupational health professionals, experts in work and health, before they go off sick, everyone wins. A key way to do this is for occupational health teams to become strategic partners – their organisation’s health right-hand, as it were – proactively managing and preventing risk. Occupational health professionals should also work with, advise and guide organisations at board and executive level. Between the Mayfield review, the government’s ambitious NHS reform agenda, and the need to kickstart economic growth in this country, a reimagining of workplace health is needed. UK plc cannot go on as the ‘sick man of Europe’. Embracing the health and work expertise of occupational health professionals can be the transformational step-change we need.”
Said Professor Greenberg.
The message is clear: tackling rising sickness absence requires more than reactive support. Employers who embed occupational health as a proactive strategic priority not a last resort, can protect their workforce, strengthen productivity and play their part in reshaping the UK’s health and economic outlook.
