Rehabilitation is key to helping employees suffering from mental health problems return to work

Helping to rehabilitate employees who are off sick with stress and other mental health problems is a significant and growing challenge for employers. In response the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced new guidance to help employers support employees suffering from such conditions and help them return to work in a managed and co-ordinated manner.

Research by the CIPD shows that more than half of employers reported an increase in stress-related absence last year and highlighted the significant impact of mental ill health issues on long-term absence levels.

The length of time an individual is off work sick has been shown to have a strong relationship to the likelihood of returning to work. Studies show:

After six monthsí absence there is only a 50 per cent chance that an employee will return to work.

At 12 months this falls to 25 per cent.

After two years there is practically no chance.

The guide Recovery, rehabilitation and retention offers practical guidance on how organisations can support, rehabilitate and retain employees who are suffering from stress and other mental health problems.

It emphasises that there needs to be a case management approach to rehabilitation to ensure that there is someone, whether it is a line manager, or a representative from occupational health or human resources, responsible for ensuring that an individualís return to work is managed consistently.

Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, says, Employers must do more than simply request and file a sick note if they are to cut absence. Managers should engage with their staff to get to the route of the problem and help staff to get back into the workplace - engaging with staff will help both organisations and employees.

Employers need to have a clear rehabilitation policy in place, this will help to ensure staff are aware of available assistance and managers are clear about the role they play in the process. Line managers play an essential part in the rehabilitation process and it is important they are trained so they are aware of how they can help members of staff who have been off work sick for long periods integrate back into the organisation.

It is essential for a member of the organisation, whether it is a line manager, a member of the HR team or occupational health, to take on the role of case manager in the rehabilitation process to ensure that it is managed correctly and consistently.

The guide makes practical suggestions on what employers should include in their policy and the procedures they should follow in order to create an effective programme. It covers the following areas:

How to provide support for the troubled employee in the workplace and on sick leave.

How to recognise when to refer individuals for further assessment.

Ways to support the programme to ensure it is effective.

How to monitor and evaluate the programme to report on savings and benefits.