Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Economics, government & businessLatest NewsOccupational HealthWellbeing

Lack of rehabilitation support hinders government return to work efforts

by Nic Paton 21 Jul 2008
by Nic Paton 21 Jul 2008

Government efforts to get the long-term sick off benefits and back to work risk being undermined by the low levels of rehabilitation support offered in the workplace, according to the HR body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).


Its annual absence management survey has found that nearly four out of 10 employers offer no rehabilitation support to help employees return to work.


The CIPD’s workplace health adviser, Ben Willmott, said the government should seriously consider if tax breaks could be offered to companies that provide good quality rehabilitation services.


“The government could make a real difference by providing tax incentives to encourage more employers to use occupational health and vocational rehabilitation services,” he stressed.


There was also a sharp split between the public and private sectors – with just 48% of private sector firms offering OH and vocational rehabilitation services, compared with 84% of employers in the public sector – and falling to just a quarter in organisations employing less than 50 people.


Where support was offered, on average it took more than two months before the employee was referred, when their chances of a successful return were likely to have diminished significantly.


Willmott also called on the government to implement the recommendations from Dame Carol Black’s review of workplace health as soon as possible, as well as put more money into developing NHS Plus and the rehabilitation support services provided by Remploy.


The survey found sickness absence accounted for on average eight absence days per employee per year, a slight fall from the 8.4 days recorded last year.


Employers estimated the average cost of absence to be £666 per employee per year, with short-term absence remaining the biggest headache for private sector firms.


Long-term absence of more than four weeks accounted for more than 29% of working time lost to absence in the public sector, almost double that of private sector organisations, on 13%.

Nic Paton
Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consulting editor of OHW+. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for OHW+ and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Online tool launched to calculate economic benefit of investing in health
next post
Strategic HR initiatives do not have to be outsourced

You may also like

Managers unsure how best to support cancer return...

24 Jun 2022

Employers urged to offer fast-track long Covid support

24 Jun 2022

Don’t be gloomy over social mobility in the...

24 Jun 2022

Christian awarded £22k following dismissal over religious necklace

24 Jun 2022

Movers and shakers June 2022: Lloyds, Indeed, Zoom...

24 Jun 2022

Gender pensions gap: women’s retirement pot less than...

24 Jun 2022

White-hot recruitment market? William Tincup talks to Oven-Ready...

24 Jun 2022

British Airways employees at Heathrow vote for walkouts

24 Jun 2022

Young people need more guidance over ‘green jobs’

24 Jun 2022

Government to repeal agency workers ban during strikes

23 Jun 2022

  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today