According to a poll of 600 employers by Aon Consulting, 19% of employers do not know anything about welfare reform announcements.
The Government's two-pronged approach, announced in 2008, is designed to encourage employers to promote health and wellbeing in the workplace and enable as many people as possible claiming state sickness benefit to get back to work.
It is estimated that, in 2010, 2.6 million people claiming incapacity benefits will be subjected to new more stringent work assessment criteria, with the aim of moving as many as possible back into the workplace.
But almost two thirds of employers (63%) have no plans to amend their current sickness regime - for example, updating their absence management systems or introducing return to work strategies for staff.
Matthew Lawrence, senior consultant at Aon Consulting said: "The protection of an employee's health, safety and wellness is becoming an increasingly important socio-political issue, with employers being expected to shoulder more of the responsibility when it comes to keeping ‘sick' employees in work and out of the benefits system. With employees an employer's greatest asset it is certainly arguable that it is in their best interests to do so from both a financial and corporate responsibility perspective.
"With regard to those currently caught in the cycle of benefits dependency, it does appear there are currently a limited number of jobs available. However, this group of people should not be written off and employers should view this as part of a wide-ranging opportunity."
Employers unaware of the Government's announcements on workers' health and wellbeing
One in five businesses is unaware of the Government's suggestions for reducing illness and disability in the workplace.
