Finance chiefs wary of sicknote explanations

Most
finance directors do not trust the explanation as to why staff were absent on
staff sicknotes, according to a survey.

A
poll of 266 directors by recruitment firm Reed Accountancy and Accountancy Age
magazine found widespread distrust, with many directors accusing GPs of giving
in too easily to demands for sicknotes.

One
respondent said he would not trust a doctor "as far as I could dangle his
stethoscope".

Richard
Post, managing director of Reed Accountancy, said: "There were some
remarkably forthright answers to this survey, indicating that many directors
feel sicknotes play a part in the absenteeism that costs UK business dearly.

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"On
the other hand, genuinely ill members of staff may also suffer from bosses made
cynical by a few bad experiences."

By Ross Wigham