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Government-appointed back-to-work expert Sir Charlie Mayfield has emphasized the importance of maintaining phone communication between employees who are off sick and their employers. As the leader of the Keep Britain Working taskforce, Sir Charlie suggests that fostering direct conversations instead of relying solely on emails and sick notes could play a crucial role in helping people return to work.
According to the latest report from the taskforce, health-related economic inactivity costs the UK approximately £210 billion annually in lost productivity and benefit payments. Sir Charlie highlighted that speaking on the phone is just one element of a broader approach to tackling this issue. The report encourages greater workplace support for individuals with health conditions and disabilities, including the development of a Workplace Health System that would operate alongside the NHS.
Improving communication at work not only supports employees’ health but also “rehumanises” the workplace, potentially preventing workers from leaving the workforce altogether. Sir Charlie clarified that this does not mean employees must discuss minor illnesses over the phone with their bosses. “I’m not worried about a day here and a day there. It is more about longer term issues,” he said during an interview on the BBC’s Today Programme.
Sir Charlie pointed out that the UK is currently not managing sickness absence effectively, which can lead to disengagement and permanent withdrawal from work. Many employees report having little or no contact with their employers during extended sick leave. Each year, around 300,000 people stop working due to health issues, many of which are preventable. Both employees and employers often hesitate to initiate conversations about health concerns due to fear of causing offense or legal issues, which only increases the risk of long-term absence. “If you can keep more people in work, there’s a massive opportunity for us to add billions to the economy and, frankly, to people’s livelihoods,” Sir Charlie said. He called for more proactive sickness management by employers and greater engagement from employees. Additionally, he recommended that employers provide better access to treatments such as physiotherapy and talking therapies as part of supporting their workforce’s health
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