Men’s Health in the Workplace isn’t just a moral issue, it’s a commercially sound issue too. One in five men die before they reach 65, so only four out of every five make it past the traditional retirement age 75% of premature deaths from heart disease are male three in four suicides are committed by men. A healthy workforce tends to be happier and more productive. Many health issues, mental and physical, are preventable especially by encouraging early identification. A proactive approach to men’s health in the workplace could help increase the lifespan of your male workers. So, what practical steps can you as an employer take? Raise Awareness Coronary heart disease is the biggest single cause of death in the UK. A lack of exercise, balanced diet, healthy weight, and stress are all contributors to poor heart health. How can your workplace help staff, make and female, in this respect? Everyone over 40 is entitled to a free NHS health check every five years. You could promote this initiative to your employees and encourage them to attend. Men over 65 are entitled to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm screen which assesses the risk of the aorta bursting. This is six times […]
Many clients have been asking these last few weeks about Furlough and the Job Retention Scheme. We have some guidance from the government on the subject, what it is and what you are entitled to do as an employer. In Summary Fees and commissions will not be included in the 80% refund Employees can do voluntary work whilst on furlough as long as you the employer don’t generate any revenue from that activity Employees must be furloughed for a minimum of 3 weeks No employee starting work with you after 28 February 2020 can be part of the scheme It gives guidance on calculating the average working week if you have employees who work variable hours The employer remains liable for paying NI and pensions contributions but you can claim the NI and pension contributions back through the scheme Employees on sick leave or self-isolating should get Statutory Sick Pay, but can be furloughed after this. Employees who are shielding in line with public health guidance can be placed on furlough. The CJRS covers those employees who were made redundant after 28 February 2020, providing they are rehired by their employer. For full time and part time salaried employees, the […]
If you’re planning on introducing Return to Work Interviews, your next move is likely to be wondering how to carry out a return to work interview. 64% of employers believe that Return To Work (RTW) interviews reduce absence levels so it’s certainly worth considering doing them. RTW interviews can be an effective method of reducing absence, but only if the interviews themselves are carried out effectively. RTW interviews are much more than the old fashioned “sick parade” approach to dealing with people coming back to work. They are not an interrogation of employees reasons for absence. Why carry out a return to work interview? By carrying out RTW interviews, and making it clear in your sickness policy that you will do so, you can discourage unauthorised and non-genuine sickness absence. When should you carry out a return to work interview? Ideally the line manager would meet with the employee on their first day back from absence, however long, or short, that period of absence was. If the employee is field based, or geographically distant, a RTW interview by phone is acceptable. What should you cover in the Return to Work Interview? welcome employees back and check they are well enough to […]
It’s an awful conversation to have, being asked about the pension rights of an employee with a terminal illness. A recent decision by the Pensions Ombudsman seems clear that in terminal ill health cases the Ombudsman is prepared to closely scrutinise actions taken by the employer. Whilst decisions by the Pensions Ombudsman only apply to the case in which the decision is made, it seems wise to take note of what is being said. The recent decision focuses on the extent to which employers should provide information on pension rights of an employee with a terminal illness The Law There is no legal obligation for employers to advise employees about their pension rights The law prohibits anyone other than a person authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority from advising on pension rights. However, a distinction should be drawn between “advising” and “providing information”. There is no specific guidance about information relating to the pension rights of an employee with a terminal illness. This can make it tricky to know if you’re doing the right thing, but there is some good practice to consider. Good Practice For employees with terminal illness, there are likely to be different options available under their […]
New research is looking at how to support employees returning to work from long term absence due to mental health issues. So far, research calls for line managers to have a good understanding of how to manage mental health problems. This finding raises the importance of training line managers in mental health issues. A recent survey by CMI showed that less than a third of managers (30%) have been trained in managing mental health in the workplace in the last year and almost half of managers (49%) have never received any training. Only 20% had received training more than a year ago. Equipping managers with the skills to support returning employees post-return should be included in future training initiatives. Common mental health illness such as stress, anxiety and depression are on the rise and can result in long-term sick leave. Helping employees return to work is only part of the challenge. Although employees may return, this does not mean they stay at work or regain their former levels of productivity. A high percentage of workers who suffer from mental illness have recurrent periods of sick leave. Sheffield University are working with Affinity Health at Work to understand how managers can […]
Managing an employee with multiple sclerosis need not be challenging for employers. As one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) impacts more than 2.3 million people around the world. The term multiple sclerosis means “many scars”. It relates to the areas that appear on the brain and spinal cord after the sheath covering the nerves is damaged or dies. The damaged sheath leaves a lesion behind. These lesions are identified by an MRI scan when symptoms begin to appear. MS symptoms vary and progress at different rates for each person diagnosed. The disease is unpredictable, progressive and challenging to diagnose. The cause is also unknown. While there is no cure, treatments are advancing to help slow the progression of MS and reduce the symptoms. Not every employee with MS will need extra support in the workplace, and many of those who do will only require small changes (reasonable adjustments) – to enable them to continue working. A reasonable adjustment is a change, perhaps to the job or the working environment, that enables your employee to continue to do their job. Your employee’s right to reasonable adjustments is a key part of the Equality Act. MS […]
If you think your employee is faking illness to take time off work, here’s a recent case to help you decide what you may need to do. An employee was on sick leave after a workplace accident. He was put under surveillance after suspicions were raised to the employer. He was seen to be walking easily. The employee was dismissed for fraud. However, he claimed that while he could walk, he could not perform his contractual duties at work. Furthermore, this required him to remain seated for long periods. The Employment Appeal Tribunal confirmed that an employee who dishonestly claims they cannot work because of an illness or injury breaches the trust and confidence. This is required of any employee in the employer/employee relationship. Their dismissal is a result of their conduct, not their capability. The procedures to be followed are those for dismissal for misconduct. The employer in this case was found to have carried out a reasonable investigation. As they genuinely and reasonably believed the employee was acting fraudulently. The dismissal was therefore fair. In cases of employees believed to be faking illness to take time off work, the issue is one of conduct. Therefore, this should be dealt with as a disciplinary issue. Employers should: ensure they […]
We’ve had a spate of enquiries this month about dealing with an employee who keeps taking time off to look after their child. Short term, no notice absenteeism is a really difficult issue for employers to cope with. It affects planned work, it affects other team members and it can affect customers. It can be very frustrating especially if it happens a lot. It’s important to remember that your employee has a contract of employment with you. That contract of employment will usually say how many hours a week that they are contracted to attend work. There’s an obligation on both sides here. You as the employer need to provide the hours of paid work that you’ve contracted with your employee. Your employee needs to attend work for the hours that they’ve signed to do, unless they’ve agreed to take annual leave or in some other way agreed to a change. An employee who frequently fails to be available to carry out their contracted hours can be accused of “frustrating” the contract of employment. Frustration of contract can lead employers to a decision to terminate the employment relationship. This kind of decision needs care. The law Parental Leave Parental leave can be used […]
Managing an employee with cancer can be hard. An employee who has cancer is considered, in law, to be disabled. An employee who has had cancer and no longer has cancer is considered to be disabled. All cancers are included. Employees don’t have to tell you that they have cancer. If they don’t tell you your chances of managing an employee with cancer appropriately will obviously be affected. This isn’t just a problem of an aging workforce. 22% of people claiming income protection for cancer treatment or care are under the age of 40. There’s a strong legal, moral and business case for managing employees with terminal illness sensitively. This includes supporting people to stay in work with a terminal diagnosis, and/or helping them to leave work at an appropriate point. There are a number of benefits for the organisation of managing an employee with cancer sensitively: managing an employee with cancer effectively can help limit the cost of long-term absence and the costs of recruiting a replacement. you have a legal obligation to consider reasonable adjustments for employees with cancer. While reasonable adjustments are a legal obligation, they’re not always easy. What might be a reasonable adjustment one day, may not be […]
According to employee benefits firm Neyber, “How can I help an employee worried about debt?” is not a question many employers are likely to ask. The Neyber survey suggests that 67% of employees believe that their employer doesn’t care about their financial wellness. It also suggests that only 3% of employees would turn to their employer about their financial worries. Lack of financial wellbeing has a significant impact on the productivity and health of the workforce 55% of employees said being under financial pressure affects their behaviour and ability to perform their job in the workplace 51% of employees say financial pressure affects their relationships with colleagues 46% of employees say financial pressure affects their relationship with their line manager The average household owes £7.413 in unsecured debt, 9.45 million people in the UK have no savings and 17 million people only have £100 savings. It’s maybe not then surprising that any workforce at any one time will have some members struggling with money. It makes the question “How can I help an employee worried about debt?” much more likely to be asked, especially if employers set their stall out to be more open about discussing financial worries. We are not advocating […]
