Looking after the health of employees and protecting them from
harm in the workplace is a legal requirement. The risks to
employees’ health can arise from psychological as well as physical
hazards, so it makes sense to ensure that your organisation puts
the right policies and processes in place to manage these risks and
to support your employees. There is also good evidence that
investing in building a healthy workplace makes economic sense. It
protects and increases the productivity of your employees by
reducing staff absence as well as staff presenteeism where staff
turn up to work but perform below their best. The
11th annual survey by the Chartered Institute of
Personnel Development (CIPD) of almost 600 organisations shows that
presenteeism and reported mental health conditions have increased
as a result of the recession. CIPD point out that ‘Failure by
organisations to address employees’ concerns may lead to mental
health problems and costly longer-term consequences.’
If you support employees with mental
ill-health to stay in work, this may aid their recovery and it may
reduce the likelihood that you have to recruit new staff with all
the costs that this incurs.
Research suggests that employers underestimate
how many people are affected by mental ill-health and one
consequence is that most employers do not have effective policies
to deal with employees’ mental health. Price Waterhouse
Coopers make the case that employers who do support employees with
long-term or fluctuating health conditions, like mental health
conditions, may have a competitive advantage over their rivals when
it comes to attracting and retaining talented employees.
Links
to resources
Practical guides for line managers
SHiFT
This is an initiative to tackle stigma and discrimination
surrounding mental health issues in England. The campaign aims to
create a society where people who experience mental health problems
enjoy the same rights and opportunities as other people. The
website has links specifically for employers. The line
managers resource is a practical guide to managing and supporting
people with mental health problems in the workplace. There is
a section specifically on ‘Keeping in touch during sickness
absence’ which includes tips on supporting an employee who
is off sick.
Employers’
Forum on Disability
‘A Practical guide to managing sickness
absence’ and ‘Non-visible disabilities line manager guide’ includes
guidance on keeping in touch during sick leave agreements.
Health and
Safety Executive (HSE)
The HSE with CIPD and ACAS has developed a
toolkit
aimed at small and medium sized businesses to help you to manage
sickness absence. It has information on absence management
practices and procedures that line managers can pick and choose
information from. It is split into four parts to help managers:
- Identify an absence problem
- Develop an absence strategy
- Deal with short-term absence
- Deal with long-term absence
This links to information on workers’ rights and
employers responsibilities. The resources section
includes publications on sick leave entitlement.
Policy reports
Chartered Institute of
Personnel Development (CIPD)
Annual Survey Report 2010, Absence
Management
This report of the 11th annual
survey carried out among 573 organisations. The report
provides benchmarking data for organisations on absence levels and
the cost and causes of absence. This year there are topical
sections about employee wellbeing and the effect of the economic
climate on absence. These sections highlight the vital need for
organisations to manage employee absence effectively. The report
includes two case studies which focus on early interventions to
minimise absence.
Mental
health and work
Royal
College of Psychiatrists, Health, Work and Wellbeing,
2008
This review was commissioned by the cross
government Health, Work and Wellbeing Programme. This report
includes a section on the effect of stigma and discrimination in
the workplace. It includes quotes from people with mental
health conditions, some of whom have been treated well at work and
the effect on others when the necessary adjustments have not been
made to aid their return to work.
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Developing good policies and practices to
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