Employers give mixed views on Fit for Work

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Two thirds of employers plan to use the Fit for Work (FfW) service while 30% of HR managers are not aware of it, two surveys have found.

Of 140 employers polled, only 6% planned to use the FfW service in full, a survey for Jelf Employee Benefits found.

However 42% said they would use it on a case-by-case basis and 20% would use the website, the survey for Jelf Employee Benefits found.

The Jelf survey also found that 16% of employers planned to use their own occupational health service while 49% intend to adapt their sickness-absence policies to incorporate FfW.

A second survey for PMI Health Group of 308 HR managers found that 70% of HR professionals are now aware of the scheme.

However 14% of HR managers feel that enough information has been provided about how employers can make use of it.

The PMI Health Group survey also found that only 23% of HR managers think FfW will fulfil their occupational health requirements.

The FfW service is being launched in stages throughout 2015, having started taking referrals in Sheffield in January 2015.

Mike Blake, director at PMI Health Group, said: "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."

"It's also surprising that four months after the official launch of the scheme, nearly a third (30%) of HR professionals still don't even know about it."

Blake added: "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.

"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."

 

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