Less than a quarter of UK HR managers believe the government's Fit for Work absence and assessment service will fulfil their occupational health (OH) requirements, research has revealed.
The scheme, which is being launched in stages throughout 2015, aims to provide advice and support to employers dealing with employees suffering from long-term sickness absence.
But a study conducted by PMI Health Group discovered that while 70 per cent of HR professionals are now aware of the scheme, only 23 per cent believe it will fulfil their OH requirements. Furthermore, only 14 per cent feel that enough information has been provided about how employers can make use of it.
"It’s encouraging to see the government taking the issue of workplace absence seriously, but having to wait four weeks to gain access to such support is less useful for employers," said Mike Blake, Director, PMI Health Group.
“It’s also surprising that four months after the official launch of the scheme, nearly a third (30 per cent) of HR professionals still don’t even know about it.”
The survey revealed that more than half (57 per cent) of HR managers are intending to make use of the Fit for Work service, which provides advice to employers when staff have been absent for more than four weeks. But it also showed that 84 per cent of employers already provide staff with access to an occupational health service (either all the time or in certain cases) when they have been off sick for four weeks or more.
Employers’ propensity to offer OH support reduces in shorter-term absences, but 57 per cent of employers still provide staff with access to an occupational health service in all or certain cases where employees have been absent for less than four weeks.
“Information from an employee's GP can be useful but having access to an occupational physician gives employers a much deeper understanding of the underlying factors involved in an absence,” added Mike.
“Line managers and HRs need to be looking at monitoring the ongoing health of their staff and being proactive about intervening earlier to reduce absence in the first place.”