07th April 2009 NICE ideas on absence

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According to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), once you’ve had six months off work, you have an 80% chance of this stretching into five years without working. The implications of this for the worker and the employer are fairly costly. Work helps people to feel fulfilled and well, while languishing at home in poor health on a reduced income would have an adverse effect on anyone’s morale and finances. Similarly, the cost to the employer of a worker who cannot work has serious repercussions for budgetary control and service levels – both of which are already under close scrutiny.

Not surprisingly, the report urges early assessment of the absentee’s condition and a negotiation about a prompt target return to work date. This should be followed promptly by further assessments and a gradual or complete resumption of duties.

At FirstCare, we believe passionately in setting an agreed target date, followed by a return to work interview as soon as possible after the absentee returns. An employee could be back at work in a reduced capacity, even if they can’t handle the role they were performing before becoming ill. However, the last thing an employer needs is to bring someone back who isn’t yet fit to return, or return them to a role that may inherently make them ill again. A return to work interview can highlight potential problems and allow the manager to plan ahead and adapt if necessary, without losing a valuable team member.

The TUC, in response to NICE’s observations, has suggested that disability should be handled differently to ordinary sickness absence, and we’d agree that the two should be treated separately. Without doubt, the more detailed the information you can record, the better the understanding you can gain of your organisation’s absence patterns.

This doesn’t just apply to health care professionals – the same principles can assist most industry sectors in pinpointing problems, especially work-aggravated medical conditions. Once you’ve identified the problem, you can formulate plans to reduce its effects. That’s why it is essential to use an absence management system that has been expertly tailored to your organisation’s exact needs.