The Government has launched a review of the sickness absence system as it aims to tackle the “staggering” £100 billion annual cost to the economy and has pledged to end the vicious cycle which sees over 300,000 people leave work to claim sickness-related benefits every year.
Ministers are planning for the review to look at “radical” new ways of helping more people stay in work and cut the cost of sickness to businesses and the wider economy.
The review will be led by David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, and Dame Carol Black, a government adviser on health, and the findings will be published later this year.
Martin Thomas, Marketing Manager at Vizual Management Solutions said, “Sickness absence has a huge impact on business and as such we have seen an increase in companies asking for ways to better manage employee absence.”
“Our Absence Management Software provides accurate reports which not only illustrate when an employee is absent but also the reason behind the absence and how often that reason is used, this in turn helps employers to spot patterns in absence”
The Review will include a panel of experts from business, trade unions and health. It will also feed into the wider Employment Law Review, which is looking to reduce red tape and remove the burdens on businesses.
