Workplaces are still too often waiting until people are too sick to work before offering support that could have kept them in employment, with this fuelling a growing ‘sickness economy’, occupational health (OH) doctors have warned.
The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) has argued that a lack of access to OH is increasingly determining who can enter work, who stays in it and who falls out altogether.
Nearly 2.8 million working-age people are now economically inactive primarily because of long-term sickness, SOM has highlighted. Alongside this, a million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training (Neet), while ill health is becoming an increasingly important reason why young people are detached from the labour market.
But the new analysis for SOM has highlighted just how quickly the window to keep somebody in work can close. Among employees referred to OH while they were still working, 91% remained in employment a month later.
Yet, for those referred after one to two months of sickness absence, that figure was just 45%. After six months away from work, it fell further, to 27%.
Only 52% of UK workers currently have access to occupational health through their job, SOM highlighted. This is despite 83% saying they would accept a review by occupational health if they were unwell.
SOM said these stark figures needed to trigger a fundamental rethink of the UK’s approach to sickness and work. Employers must intervene before somebody falls out of employment, rather than trying to reconnect them months later, it argued.
SOM president Professor Neil Greenberg said: “Britain is missing out on keeping people at work through the use of effective occupational health expertise. Instead, employers all too often only ask for expert advice once workers are too sick to work, by which time it is often very challenging to get them back to work. We need to get much better at stopping them from reaching that point in the first place.
“The numbers show how quickly the door can close. Get somebody occupational health support while they are still working, and nine in ten remain in employment. Wait until they have been away for a month or two, and that figure halves,” he added.
Discussing health at work
Separately, a study by Health Shield Friendly Society has argued employers are overestimating how comfortable their employees feel about discussing their health and wellbeing at work.
Its latest ‘Britain at Work’ report revealed that 84% of employers believe their employees would be comfortable discussing their physical health. Yet, in fact, just 67% of employees agreed – and only 31% said they would feel “very comfortable”.
The polling, of more than 2,000 employees and 500 HR decision-makers carried out in the spring, also found that nearly three-quarters of employers (74%) believe their employees would be comfortable discussing mental health challenges. Yet, in fact, just 56% of employees agreed this was the case.
Paul Shires, director at Health Shield, said: “Many employers feel they have created an environment where employees can discuss challenges openly, but our findings reveal a clear disconnect between that perception and how comfortable employees actually feel.
“Employers shouldn’t assume people will always feel able to raise sensitive issues directly. Providing confidential, easily accessible health and wellbeing support gives employees another way to get help when they need it, without having to start a difficult conversation with their manager or HR team,” he added.
source: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/lack-of-access-to-oh-creating-sickness-economy-warns-som/
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