Research by Jelf Employee Benefits reveals that few employers have yet to be made officially aware of the introduction and availability of the new government-funded initiative to reduce sickness absence in the workplace.

The Fit for Work service became nationally available to all employers in England and Wales in September 2015, yet Jelf’s survey of 281 employers in these countries found that only 17% of organisations had received any formal notification of the service. More than 2 in 3 (68%) employers said they had not received any official communications about it.

Commenting for Jelf Employee Benefits, Steve Herbert, head of benefits strategy, said: ‘The Fit for Work service is an important first step for thousands of employers to help reduce sickness absence, yet the service will only make a tangible difference if all employers are made aware of the service and how to access it. Our findings suggest that currently most employers are largely unaware of the launch of this initiative.’

The survey did however reveal that some employers had made referrals to the service despite the relatively low employer awareness of the facility: 3% of employers had taken such action.

Herbert continued: ‘It is encouraging that some referrals have been made; and the aim must now be to engage more employers and GPs in this process. We are aware that Fit for Work has been rolling out a national roadshow to employers and are shortly undertaking an advertising campaign. This can only help improve awareness and referrals, but we would still like to see more promotion from central government to push forward this agenda.’

Jelf Employee Benefits highlights that one of the keys to reducing national sickness absence rates is early intervention – and the company is therefore very supportive of the ideals of the new offering.

Herbert concluded: ‘We would also encourage employers to utilise the many early intervention services available through their existing employee benefit packages to help manage employee absence, and control this important business cost.’

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