Managers reveal extent of long term health crisis in the workplace

• 56% of managers said they have managed someone with a long term health condition, which includes 22% who had done so in the last 12 months.
• 64% of managers said they have supported someone returning to work after a period of long-term sickness absence, which includes 23% who had done so in the last 12 months.

A new survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has revealed over half of managers have dealt with staff with long term health problems. 56% have managed someone with a health condition such as asthma, diabetes or depression, and nearly two thirds (64%) have supported a member of staff returning to work after a period of long-term sick absence.

Nearly 1 in 3 managers say they have either managed someone with a long-term health condition (22%) or supported someone returning from long term sick absence (23%) in the last 12 months alone.

Despite over two thirds (67%) of managers saying their organisation had policies in place to help them support staff with long-term health problems, nearly half said they still faced barriers when managing staff returning from long term sick absence:”

• 21% of managers said that the organisational culture was unsupportive of employees returning from long-term sick absence.
• 20% of managers said that there was a lack of support from senior leadership
• 15% of managers said that there was a lack of support from HR

Rob Wall Head of Policy at CMI said:

Helping employees with long-term health conditions to stay in work is not only the responsible thing to do but makes good business sense. Ill health which prevents people working costs the economy around £100bn a year.

1 in 4 managers tell us they have managed staff with long term health conditions in the last 12 months alone. With an ageing workforce and people living longer than ever, managing employees with long-term health problems will become ever more critical and employers should take action now.

“At CMI we know there is often a gap between policy and practice. Despite many employers having policies in place, our survey shows that nearly half of managers who supported someone returning to work after a period of long-term sick absence faced cultural or organisational challenges. Whilst a policy can be a useful first step, it is the quality of management and leadership that really matters.