Delayed health support decreases workers’ chances of staying employed, SOM finds

Workers’ chances of remaining employed halved when occupational health support was delayed until one to two months into sickness absence, analysis from the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) found.

91% of employees referred to occupational health while still working remained employed a month later.

This fell to 45% among those referred after one to two months of sickness absence and 27% after six months away from work.

Only 52% of workers had access to occupational health through their job, despite 83% saying they would accept a review if they were unwell.

The SOM called for earlier referrals, wider employer access and more investment in the occupational health workforce.

Professor Neil Greenberg, occupational psychiatrist and president of the SOM, said: “Britain is missing out on keeping people at work through the use of effective occupational health expertise. 

“Instead employers all too often only ask for expert advice once workers are too sick to work by which time it is often very challenging to get them back to work. 

“We need to get much better at stopping them from reaching that point in the first place.”