A new service to help employers and employees tackle issues of long-term sickness absence has been welcomed by a human resources consultant.
The government’s new Health and Work Service – to be fully implemented in May – will offer advice to businesses on managing sickness absence that is likely to last longer than four weeks, which is often an unclear area for small to medium sized companies.
Helen Straw, managing director of The Personnel Partnership based in Honley, said: “One of the main objectives behind the introduction of the Health and Work Service is to reduce the number of days lost each year to sickness absence.
“Last year alone, 131m working days were lost due to sickness absence in the UK – which is an average of 4.4 days for each worker.”
The free service, which has been designed to sit alongside a company’s existing attendance management frameworks, will provide employers with access to general health and work advice via a dedicated telephone line and website.
It will also help employers by enabling employees to return to work sooner following a period of sickness absence that lasts for four consecutive weeks or more.
Said Helen: “When an eligible employee has been absent for four consecutive weeks or more, the service will help by carrying out telephone assessments to identify any barriers that might prevent the employee from returning to work, as well as providing case management support and general advice.
“This will be particularly beneficial for small businesses that often rely upon a small yet vital workforce.”
Following the introduction of the new service, employers will also benefit from a tax exemption of up to £500 a year on medical treatments that are recommended by the service, an employer’s occupational health adviser or another registered medical practitioner – and treatments will not be subject to National Insurance contributions.
Said Helen: “Employers should ensure that they have clear communication channels in place with employees in order to gain maximum benefit from the service.
“I would also encourage employers to seek professional HR advice to ensure any return to work plans or difficult sickness absence issues can be discussed and expert advice provided accordingly.”
