Eight in 10 (82%) employees want proactive return-to-work support from their employer following an illness, while half (49%) say employers should offer it as standard, and a third (33%) think it should be offered as an added benefit.
This is according to research commissioned by Legal & General as part of its fourth chief medical officer report, Keep Britain Working: Absence Management which also found at least seven in 10 respondents at every job level – from manual workers to owner/proprietors – think proactive return-to-work support via the employer makes sense.
Meanwhile, 94% said they would value more support from advisers or insurers in relation to wellbeing and absence management.
Looking at specific areas of support, the top answers were early intervention and return-to-work planning (44%) and communicating benefits to employees (44%). This compared with 29% who pointed to navigating different benefit options
Vanessa Sallows, claims and clinical development director – group protection at L&G, (pictured) said: “Employee needs assessments often happen when someone is already preparing to return to work.
“Many employers are already looking at ways to provide support throughout an employee’s absence.
“With the right support from vocational rehabilitation clinicians and other specialists, employers can help their employees access practical, personalised support sooner, which can reduce the length of absence and make returns to work more sustainable. We see this reflected year after year in our group income protection return-to-work outcomes, and have done consistently for the last two decades.”