Long term sickness

Labour Party conference: What HR needs to know

The Labour Party conference concluded yesterday, and saw senior members of government outline further details to changes in employment law, apprenticeships, immigration and benefits.

Number of long-term sick set to surge, commission warns

A cross-party commission has warned that drastic action is required to address the growing number of people signed off from work with a long-term illness.

How can HR prevent long-term sickness at work?

John Deanfield, the government's champion for personalised prevention, told The Guardian on Tuesday (23 July) that a preventative system must be put in place to quell the number of economically...

How Labour can solve the skills crisis

Following the Labour Party's election win, we asked HR how the new government can solve the UK's skills crisis.

Mental health days: do they work?

Employees of the Chinese supermarket chain Pang Dong Lai have been offered up to 10 days of “unhappiness leave”, The Guardian reported. Should UK businesses offer a similar benefit?

Government to pilot new service to tackle sick leave

The government has announced it will pilot WorkWell, a new service to help people with health conditions stay in and return to work, in 15 areas across England from October 2024.

Is Sunak right about "sick-note culture"?

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to reform welfare to tackle “sick-note culture” last Friday (19 April), if the Tories win the upcoming general election.

How to tend to the needs of the long-term sick

With economic inactivity due to long-term sickness hitting record levels, HR has a critical role in improving health, wellbeing, talent and business outcomes, writes Dan Cave

Employers concerned about long-term illness

A fifth of employers are concerned about employees living with long-term chronic illnesses, according to research from industry body Group Risk Development (Grid).

Dear HR haters: A response to the Telegraph

On 11 December, The Telegraph published an article which asked if HR’s transformation from ‘corporate backwater’ to ‘a powerful force’ was largely responsible for the UK’s stubbornly low productivity...

How should you support employees with a terminal illness?

New guidance has been published on workplace policies and practices to support employees with a terminal illness from the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and Marie Curie.

Sick leave hits 10-year high in cost of living crisis

UK employees missed work for an average of 7.8 days over the past year, the highest level in over a decade, according to new research.