New research[1] from Aviva UK Health has suggested that employers feel torn between their emotions and business duties when dealing with employees on long-term leave of absence.
Nearly half of employers (50%) questioned in the 360-degree study consider long-term sick leave to be an issue for their business with 27% admitting it gives them a major staffing headache. But despite the impact staff sickness may have on a business, the research showed employers also feel the strain emotionally.
The modern day employer is tasked with managing more complex illnesses in the workplace. While musculoskeletal problems still heavily contribute to work absence (27%), many companies now have to deal with highly emotive conditions such as cancer (19%), mental health issues (30%) and drink and drug related issues (16%). In addition, nearly one in five employers (16%) has experienced staff with heart problems.
While traditional business pressures remain - with just over a third (34%) stating that they were concerned how to balance legal obligations to the employee whilst managing the business – employers increasingly face emotional challenges. Over half (61%) of employers say their primary concern when an employee goes on long-term absence is the health and wellbeing of the employee. A further 23% are anxious about the pressure this absence would put on other employees’ workloads.
Survival rates from conditions such as cancer are improving and many employees are eager to return to the normality of the office.[2] Yet, nearly one in five (17%) employers admitted when dealing with someone with a potentially life threatening condition, they would find it even harder to manage the needs of business and their duty of care to the employee. 14% said they would be anxious about finding a way to deal with the employee without upsetting them.
Steve Bridger, Head of Group Risk at Aviva UK Health said: “The government’s recent decision to commission David Frost and Dame Carol Black[3] to conduct an independent review of the sickness absence system is long overdue. Our research clearly shows that many companies are affected by long-term sickness absence. Employees need care and consideration when they are unwell but, crucially they also need expert physical and psychological support to help them return to, and stay in work.
“The key to successful absence management is about prevention as well as treating problems once they arise.
The CIPD believes this means ensuring line managers are properly trained in dealing with the issues. Its annual survey report on absence management [4] revealed that: ‘line managers take primary responsibility for managing short-term absence in two-thirds of organsiations; however, in three out of ten of these, managers are not trained in absence handling.’ Even more tellingly, about half of the organisations polled admitted to using absence records as part of their criteria for redundancy selection. This figure rises to 72% in the production and manufacturing sector.
See also Victoria Cook’s ’10 top tips for managing sickness absence’ in The People Bulletin, 10 June 2010.
[1] All statistics are from a nationwide survey of 1,000 British adult employees and 688 employers, carried out for Aviva by market researchers OnePoll. The opinion poll was hosted online at www.OnePoll.com between the 8th and 14th March 2011 and was available to its registered members.
[2] See also Linda Abraham’s article ‘Getting back to work after cancer’ in The People Bulletin, 24 November 2010,
[3] This can be viewed at: www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/sickness-absence-review/
[4] www.cipd.co.uk/2010absencemanagementsurvey based on replies from 573 organisations across the UK employing a total of more than 1.5 million employees. The survey period was from 1 January to 31 December 2009.