Sick or swinging the lead?

The Government has announced that the current employee sickness absence system is to be subject to a comprehensive review. As part of speech launching the new Welfare Reform Bill David Cameron said that the remit of the review will be to examine how the system can be reformed so that more people can be helped to stay in work and costs for employers can be reduced.

Due to report later this year, the review will also examine whether the balance of the costs of sick leave is appropriately shared between individuals, employers and the state. It has been briefed, too, on making sure that any recommendations are consistent with promoting private-sector growth and minimising the burdens on business, especially SMEs. The review will be fed into the wider Employment Law Review, which is looking at measures to reduce red tape and remove the burdens on business.

David Frost, yes he's everywhere, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce and joint chair of the review, added: "Sickness absence undoubtedly has a huge impact on businesses - particularly on smaller firms that struggle with the processes and procedures required, not to mention the direct costs involved.

"The private sector must focus on growth if we are to sustain the recovery, so it is right that the Government has chosen to look at ways to reduce sickness absence in the workplace and get people back into employment."

I had to take five days off work at the end of November last year due to a back injury that had been caused by a compressed disc. I know that I'm lucky in that I have an understanding boss who has also suffered most of his adult life with back problems. That said it was the most boring week of my life, not being able to sit in one place for more than twenty minutes, applying an ice pack for twenty minutes every hour and going for a walk in fifteen of the remaining twenty minutes soon got mind numbingly dull.

I was also going through some personnel files at a clients the other week and happened across a very sad case involving a 'high flyer' who had simply burned out and couldn't go out of the house for three months. Reading the doctors report and the minutes of board meetings discussing his absence from work showed that whilst the company were very sympathetic towards him they realised the impact his absence was having on other members of staff who relied on him for various quality control procedures and also because I think people do actually like having people they can turn to sometimes for a second opinion.

We've suffered the other end of the scale as well, it's not all heart attacks and cancer at our place, one member of staff was allergic to Monday's for several months and another wanted to change his 'sick day' to holiday - both had their sick pay entitlements reviewed and removed as a consequence.

The Conservative party have always struck me as being the party of the 'light touch' but I think, as I have said before, businesses do need guidance and they also need to know that they are being supported, that is the way to encourage confidence. Let's hope that beyond all the wailing and gnashing of teeth surrounding welfare reform (long overdue in my opinion) that some of the good ideas make it out into the wider world.