Many employers are confused about how they should respond to advice from GPs on the new fit note . According to Healthy Working Lives, the Scottish occupational health and safety advice service, while initial feedback since the launch in April   More...
24 August 2010 00:00

The new Statement of Fitness for Work will put more demands on OH practitioners, leaving room for employee grievances. But remember, GP recommendations are not binding, write Linda Goldman and Joan Lewis.   More...
11 June 2010 00:00

Fake fit notes which claim to be "authentic looking replicas" of the genuine forms are being circulated for as little as £10. The website Doctorsnotestore.com is openly selling fake versions of the new fit notes - introduced in April - which are d  More...
07 June 2010 14:21

Long-term sickness absence is one of the most complex and expensive issues facing HR professionals in the UK. Daniel Thomas asks if the new fit-note system will help cure the UK's sickness absence problem. A new fit-note system came into effect on   More...
30 April 2010 08:00

The fit note will put the onus on employers to help get their staff back to work, but needs to be better publicised, GPs have said. Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, said it wanted to see a publicity   More...
26 April 2010 16:57

The introduction of the fit note is an opportunity for occupational health professionals to raise their visibility within organisations, the government said, in guidance published to coincide with the launch of the note . The Department for Wo  More...
26 April 2010 12:21

Leading figures in occupational health are backing the 'fit note', launched last month, while awareness of its potential benefits is low among employers, surveys show. In time, the fit note could radically change perceptions about work, ill-health   More...
26 April 2010 12:18

The majority of small and medium sized businesses are wary about hiring new staff following a number of rulings stating that staff on long-term sick leave are entitled to accrue holiday pay, research has revealed. In recent months, two European Court of  More...
14 April 2010 10:39

The Employee Assistance Professionals Association broadly welcomes the introduction of the fit note scheme on 6 April 2010 (Bill of Health, Personnel Today , 30 March). Being at work can be good for people - even those with psychological issues - s  More...
12 April 2010 14:20

Changes to employment law in force from April 2010 include the replacement of the sicknote with a new fit-note system, a new right to make a request in relation to study or training, and a new right for fathers to take up to 26 weeks' additional paterni  More...
31 March 2010 13:44

For a limited time only, members of Personnel Today Plus can access this fictional case study from XpertHR setting out an employer’s actions on receipt of a fit note. To browse additional samples of XpertHR compliance, good practice and benchma  More...
30 March 2010 14:37

When I published Working for a Healthier Tomorrow , my review for the government into the health of the UK's working-age population, the most pivotal recommendation I made was to introduce the so-called 'fit note'. On 6 April, the fit note w  More...
16 March 2010 14:29

More than two-thirds of employers have little or no knowledge of new fit-note legislation, just weeks before it becomes law, research revealed today. The fit note , which comes into force on 6 April, will ask doctors to tick one of two options rega  More...
15 March 2010 16:57

HR news and analysis including: Bullygate: what started as news of bullying at Number 10 has developed into a scandal around the National Bullying Helpline. Chief executive Christine Pratt speaks to Louisa Peacock. Procter and Gamble’s a  More...
26 February 2010 17:04

Guidance to help employers use the new fit note and help more staff return to work following periods of ill-health has been published today. The guidance is intended to help employers understand the information that will be provided on the notes a  More...
19 February 2010 12:01

HR news and analysis including: Comment on the new fit note from Dame Carol Black and shadow welfare reform minister David Freud The latest developments in the default retirement age saga. Presenter Tara Craig is joined by Mike Berry.    More...
12 February 2010 16:00