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25 Aug 2016
by Liz Morrell

Video: Employee Wellness Conference: What happens when wellness isn't enough

Although wellness strategies help with absences they can’t eliminate it, according to Colin Fitzgerald and Fiona King of Legal & General, speaking at the REBA Employee Wellness Conference 2016.

View the presentation 'What happens when wellness isn't enough' in full.

Highlighting the impact of absence on businesses by using figures from Fit For Work sales director Fitzgerald said that 74% of employers wanted more help with long term absences whilst 43% of employees wanted support to help them get back earlier. 61% of employers worried about contacting sick employees.

Legal & General’s head of rehabilitation Fiona King ran through a number of case studies in her presentation including an HGV lorry driver who was told he could no longer drive by his GP but who successfully returned to work and an IT operations manager who had neurological problems and was made redundant.

“We provided him with vocational support around CV training, interviewing techniques and at the end of nine months he was able to go back into a voluntary role in an IT workshop,” said King.

“He had been absent from work for four years but we were able to support him back into a job that supported him and suited his health needs and his situation but for the employer they were able to sever ties in the right way,” she said.

She said companies needed to do more to help and look at how to integrate with other, exisiting services within their businessses. “Most people when you speak to them want to work. Look at your services and what you can feed into. Look at the culture and look at your individual needs,” said King.

Fitzgerald agreed: “For us it’s achieving a sustainable return to work but where that’s not possible it’s about putting that person back on their feet and about giving you peace of mind as you exit them from your business. You need to have control over this absentee at the end of the process,” he said.

This video was filmed at the REBA Employee Wellness Conference 2016