Report: Too ill to work, too broke not to
Key findings
- Income shocks and financial difficulty associated with sickness absence can exacerbate existing mental health problems and prolong recovery.
- Financial pressures mean that people return to work before they are mentally well enough to do so, or make the difficult decision not to take time off in the first instance, despite being seriously unwell.
- The report makes three key recommendations: to increase the flexibility of sick pay to allow preventative, part-time sick leave as well as phased returns to work; to increase the level of Employment Support Allowance paid during the 13 week ‘assessment’ period to the same amount as Statutory Sick Pay; and to increase access to income protection products, particularly for people who have pre-existing conditions.