In May the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released data showing that the number of people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness has reached over 2.5 million. It also recorded more than 400,000 individuals who are outside of the labour market due to ill health.
This means that for every thirteen people currently working, one person is long-term sick and absent from the workforce.
The ONS has commented that the underlying causes are a rise in mental health conditions and increased symptoms of long Covid. With recently approved laws enabling carers leave and extra paid leave for parents of babies requiring neonatal care, it’s clear that employment policy is on the government’s radar. However, the Institute for Employment Studies has said that the UK has a long way to go to help those who are unemployed get back into work.
Impact of long-term sickness absence
Many employers struggle with instances of employees who remain on long-term sick leave for a significant period of time – balancing the wish to remain compassionate whilst also looking to the needs of the business.
A high rate of sickness absence amongst the workforce of an organisation can foster an unhealthy culture and atmosphere, which can ultimately impact on business performance, in addition to the immediate practical/financial effects of an absent member of staff.
Also, a high number of individuals absent from the workforce impacts not only on the economy but the availability of appropriately skilled candidates for vacancies and therefore the quality of the workforce – despite the low overall unemployment rate.
Keeping employees in work
So what can employers do practically to avoid a high occurrence of long-term sickness absence in their organisations?
1. Sickness absence policy
A good sickness absence policy is foundational for any employer when dealing with sickness absence. Not only does this improve transparency and fairness, but also will enable smooth management of difficult or complicated sickness absences and ensure consistency in approach.
2. Early and open communication
Discussing sickness with an employee at the earliest possible stage can help managers to identify issues and take early action which can prevent further absence, whilst also ensuring that the employee feels supported. Possible early interventions may include the use of an employee assistance programme, providing relevant training, or linking in with a mentorship/coaching programme if appropriate. These measures can help to foster an open culture whereby employees feel they can discuss the issues that they are encountering in the workplace, allowing employers to address them at an early stage. Initiatives such as “awareness days” can highlight commonly encountered health issues which individuals may have previously felt unable to be open about, such as mental health issues, disabilities and the menopause.
3. Use stress risk assessment tools
Mental health is a major cause of sickness absence and occupational health practitioners report that this is often multifactorial, with work related stress often playing a part. Stress risk assessment tools are therefore key in supporting employees and preventing sickness absence, as they help to identify reasonable adjustments that can be made. Timely intervention with these tools, which managers should be trained to use, will help.
4. Take advantage of flexible working
Personal factors may contribute to sickness absence especially where mental health issues are involved, and flexible working policies can help to mitigate this. Having a clear flexible working policy and encouraging conversations about flexible working amongst the workforce is a good starting point. Many employers are now finding that offering flexible working fosters a positive relationship with employees and creates goodwill without any impact on the overall business.
How to manage long-term sickness absence
Whilst taking action as outlined above should assist with reducing sickness absence levels, long-term sickness absence is unfortunately inevitable for many employers. Below are some pointers for managing long-term sickness absence smoothly.
1. Keep in touch
Effective supportive communication with an absent employee is key in helping to keep the relationship open and inviting a discussion on (reasonable) adjustments as soon as this is relevant/appropriate may assist in facilitating a swifter return to work.
When communicating with an absent employee it is important to facilitate their requests where reasonable/appropriate. For example, this could be agreeing to communicate via a family member if the employee is absent due to work-related stress or having a different manager manage the absence/dialogue if there has been a breakdown in relations with the employee’s line manager.
2. Seek medical advice
Employers should not shy away from seeking medical advice early on from an employee’s GP, a specialist medical adviser or occupational health where the cause of the absence is not clear, or where guidance is needed on what adjustments might be required to enable the employee to return to and remain at work.
3. Dismissal may be the end result
Where an employee is too ill to return within a reasonable period, and identified reasonable adjustments are not going to enable a return to work in the foreseeable future, employers can proceed to dismissal (on capability grounds).
However, a fair process, up-to-date medical evidence and transparency are absolutely essential, to minimise the risks (i.e. unfair dismissal and disability and age discrimination) of progressing through a sickness absence process and terminating employment. A fair process should allow the employee a right of appeal against dismissal.
If you need some guidance on managing a complex sickness absence situation do not hesitate to contact Hill Dickinson’s Health Employment team who regularly advise on capability issues.
For further information, please contact:
Fiona McLellan, Partner, Hill Dickinson
fiona.mclellan@hilldickinson.com
