A relationship of trust

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It is that time of year again when handfuls of confetti are strewn around and loved-up couples pledg...

It is that time of year again when handfuls of confetti are strewn around and loved-up couples pledge their devotion to each other in sickness and in health. So why is this commitment so difficult to extend to employer and employee relations?

The results from the latest CBI/Axa survey made for some interesting reading this month. While the average absence fell from 7 to 6.7 days for each employee during 2007, the cost to the public sector reached £20bn. Although the fall in sickness absence is nothing to be proud of, perhaps the old adage that the longest journey begins with the first step rings true here.

The survey confirmed some effective tools for cutting absence were offering private medical insurance to staff and ensuring those on sick leave must wait several days before occupational sick pay kicked in. While this delay may encourage people to think twice about pulling 'sickies', it sounds like a 'one-size-fits-all' approach that penalises the people who are genuinely ill and does little to encourage relations between employers and staff. So, what next? Perhaps, firms should start backing Dame Carol Black's 'fit note' incentive with more gusto.

It appears to have been a month of surveys and reports, not to mention the publication of the industry bible, otherwise known as Swiss Re's Term & Health Watch report. The annual review of personal financial disputes from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has provided more fuel to the payment protection insurance (PPI) fire. The findings showed PPI complaints have increased six-fold over the past year. With the giant reinsurer Swiss Re's recent criticism of the declining income protection market, the news from the FOS will do little to settle ruffled industry feathers.

PS. Johanna Gornitzki is away on holiday.

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