Sickness absence
A new range of benefits has been launched by FirstAssist to help companies fight rising sickness absence costs.
The package, FirstAssist Positive Health, is designed to help employers identify the reasons behind sickness absence to prevent it happening in the future. It also helps monitor and manage ongoing absence and creates strategies aimed at reducing its impact to the company over time.
The package focuses on three key aspects to help address sickness absence. First, it looks at 'primary health' such as smoking, drinking and exercising. Second, it looks at how employers can give staff the tools needed to stay healthy at work. And third, it looks at 'managing health' so that support is available to help get staff back to work should they fall ill or have an accident.
The package offers access to rehabilitation, physiotherapist, occupational therapists and psychologists. Employee training programmes and health promotion programmes, including screening, are also available to members.
"We not only provide a powerful insight into the causes of employee absence, but work with an organisation to create a culture of positive health for the long term, for the employees and the business," said Tim Ablett, chief executive of FirstAssist.
