Electrical Contracting News (ECN) July 2017 | Page 61

INSURANCE
Reducing sickness absence
First let’s look at sickness absence.
According to the latest fi gures from the Offi ce
for National Statistics (ONS) 137.3 million
working days were lost due to sickness
or injury in the UK last year, which is the
equivalent of 4.3 days per worker. In sectors
such as construction where skills are in short
supply and the workforce is ageing, reducing
injury and sickness rates is a key challenge.
When someone is off sick, it may impact
service levels and will invariably create
added pressure and possibly, stress. When
someone is off work repeatedly for the
same issue, they may need support to help
address the problem.
We know from the data we collect on sick
pay claims that the top three reasons for
sickness absence in the contracting sector
are; musculoskeletal conditions, general
sickness (fl u/colds/bugs) and mental health.
Yet health insurance claims for treating
mental health conditions are a fraction of
all the health insurance claims we manage.
This would suggest that the contracting
sector could do more to help workers get to
the root causes of mental health issues.
Early intervention and diagnosis
Employers need to ensure that specialist
health support is in place for access to
early diagnosis and treatment where
necessary – from MSK conditions through
to cancer and mental health issues.
By providing early access to support
‘A workplace
that supports
employee
wellbeing
also has a
major role
to play in
retaining and
attracting
people.’
SPECIAL
FEATURE
and proactively using early intervention
services, businesses can reduce the length
of a typical absence by 17 per cent.
Ongoing health monitoring and
occupational health assessments are a highly
effective way to identify any underlying health
issues, allowing early health interventions
and helping companies to manage health
related issues more effectively. In 2015 nearly
a third of assessments ECIS managed
for members of the Joint Industry Board
found potential health problems the worker
was not previously aware of. This means
they were able to seek the right medical
attention and reduce the amount of sick
leave required if the problem had persisted.
Retaining and attracting skills
A workplace that supports employee
wellbeing also has a major role to play
in retaining and attracting people. If
employees are encouraged to take care of
themselves and see that their employer
is also interested in their health and
wellbeing, this is going to lead to a happier,
healthier and more productive workforce.
Some fi rms in the construction sector
are coming up with some innovative and
creative ideas to promote a healthy lifestyle
amongst their workers, such as exercise
competitions using health trackers and
meal ideas in support of BUPA’s Healthy
Heart Month in February.
These kinds of initiatives have huge
benefi ts in terms of employee engagement –
who wouldn’t want to work for an employer
who has their best interests at heart and
shows it in such a tangible and fun way?
A competitive advantage
Many of the benefi ts described above,
for example early intervention services,
form part of the JIB credit scheme, whilst
businesses who are not members can
access some of these services directly.
The bottom line is that, businesses that
look after the health and wellbeing of their
staff, have a competitive advantage over
those that don’t. So if you’re not one of the
majority, who are taking staff health and
wellbeing seriously, now is a good time to
get onboard.
Employers need to
ensure that specialist
health support is in
place for access to
early diagnosis and
treatment where
necessary.
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