Fit notes - do they fit the bill?

Posted by Rory Murphy in Strategies, Managing people, Employment law on Thu, 01/04/2010 - 09:17

Companies with an existing focus on health and wellbeing could reap the benefits of the change, says Rory Murphy, external affairs manager for Water Wellpoint.

 

From 6 April 2010, the sick note will be replaced by the 'fit note' in a bid to reduce sickness absence across the UK. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) predicts that fit notes will save the British economy £240m over the next decade.

The fit note is a new medical statement that GPs will issue to people who are on sick leave for over seven days. The new initiative focuses on employers providing extra support to staff to help them back to work earlier. Businesses may be concerned that this is just yet more bureaucracy. However those organisations already operating an effective health and wellbeing programme will enjoy a smoother ride.

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Editor's Welcome

 

Hello! And welcome back as we enter 2012, with a busy year ahead of us all. With talk of double-dip recessions, a possible partial or even full break-up of the Eurozone and unemployment rates set to hit nearly 9%, topics such as organisational streamlining, staff resilience and talent management are likely to be on many an HR professional's lips over the next 12 months.
 
But to lighten the gloom here in the UK, we also have the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and its attendant public holidays to look forward to at the start of June. Followed by two weeks of Olympic Games from 27 July to 12 August and the Paralympics from 29 August to 9 September, each generating their own excitement, but also issues to work through for hard-pressed HR departments trying to sort out the multifarious staffing issues in advance.
 
So with an interesting but challenging year to come, HRZone promises to be with you, supporting you all the way and providing our usual insightful blend of news, analysis, community blogs and expert comment to help you sort the wheat from the chaff. As ever, we love to hear from you too so feel free to either post your words of wisdom to our blog section yourself or, in the case of longer, more in-depth ‘expert voice’ articles, drop me a line with any ideas to cath.everett@siftmedia.co.uk.....
 
Cath Everett
HRZone Editor 
 
 
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