Employers have been warned that worsening economic difficulties brought about by the credit crunch could lead to a sharp increase in mental health conditions.

Royal Mail has been accused of using a "draconian and dictatorial" approach to its absence management policy in the same month it launched a health and safety training scheme.

Royal Mail's investment in staff health pays for itself many times over in terms of reduced absenteeism, rate of return to work after illness and higher productivity

The gap between public and private-sector absence rates has reached a record high, according to the new CBI and AXA Absence Survey.

When someone calls in sick, it doesnt necessarily mean they are ill. Jenny Hiscock explores solutions to the most common causes of absence