The war on sickness  

Announcing his vision today for getting more people off sickness benefits and back into work, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposed stripping GPs of their ability to sign people off sick and handing over these powers to unspecified "specialist work and health professionals", while demanding more medical evidence for disability benefits like PIP.

Sunak’s stance feels like a holdover from a generational workplace culture where taking sick days was seen as a mark of weakness and poor employee performance. We’ve made strides since the days where, across the board, powering through illness, no matter how contagious, was felt to be a sign of worthy dedication – despite the inevitability of spreading said sickness among the entire workforce.

Labour leader Keir Starmer criticised Sunak’s announcement as a "reheated version" of old policies, while disability charities like Scope branded it "a full-on assault on disabled people" driven by cost-cutting rather than supporting those in need. Sunak denied the claims, arguing there would still be a "safety net" for "those who genuinely need it".

Sunak’s proposal still suggests a dangerous culture of distrust and skepticism towards sick and disabled people is being fostered. Making it more challenging than it already is for workers without private health care or resources to prove or validate their conditions risks deterring people from seeking the support they need.  It also turns the spotlight to another harmful workplace attitude that it is better, or in this case easier, to be present than healthy or productive – also known as presenteeism.

The announcement comes on the back of new research from HR, payroll and finance specialists MHR which found a staggering 71% of UK employees admit to working while unwell due to the stigma surrounding taking sick days. The top concern cited was damaging career progression, with nearly three-quarters (74%) worried that calling in sick could hurt their prospects.

Jeanette Wheeler, Chief HR Officer at MHR, warned the findings point to "a worrying culture of presenteeism" that must be addressed. "Employees should be encouraged to take days off when sick - either this is not happening, or the message is not being communicated properly and employees don’t believe it. HR teams need to commit to promoting a healthy work-life balance and a positive work culture where employees feel valued and able to prioritise their own wellbeing."

The outdated notion that working through sickness somehow proves your value is not only counterproductive, but also misguided. After all, no employer considers these acts of self-sacrifice – that may or may not have saved the company time and money – when it comes time for redundancies or tough business decisions. And, by the time that happens an employee’s physical and mental health could already be compromised.

While only 20% of those surveyed admitted to "pulling a sickie" in the last year, the reasons are cause for concern. Nearly a quarter (22%) blamed a demotivating company culture, while almost half (46%) pointed to overwhelming workloads.

A presenteeism culture is not only detrimental to employee wellbeing but can severely impact businesses too. Instead of promoting an outdated and divisive "perseverance at all costs" mentality we need leaders to further compassionate policies that destigmatise prioritising employee health – especially in high-pressure, demanding career fields. Staff who work through illness are inevitably less productive and more prone to making costly mistakes that can hit the bottom line hard. And there are other implications to consider.

James Collings, partner in the employment team at Ashfords LLP said, “Employers are heavily dependent on receipt of ‘fit notes’ in order to properly administer Statutory Sick Pay.

“Placing additional barriers in the way of an individual being able to obtain them would risk those who are genuinely unfit from timely receipt of limited degree of financial support offered by SSP payments and risk compounding the struggles they are already facing, as well as creating a risk of pushing individuals who are unfit towards attempting to work thereby creating a risk of compounding their own ill health and placing an additional burden and risk on colleagues.”  

Collings adds that fit notes issued by qualified GPs already contain provision to be able to determine that a person ‘may be fit’ for work, to create scope for a potentially swifter accommodated return, “yet such an option is not as widely utilised as it could and perhaps should be.” 

The government’s welfare reform agenda and the role of progressive people management must go hand-in-hand in overhauling outdated attitudes around health, work and sickness. With stigma and barriers preventing sick, recovering, or disabled jobseekers from finding work, charities urge for more support rather than "demonising people with sick notes".

As economic inactivity rises, achieving real progress means retiring antiquated attitudes that equate taking sick leave with inadequacy.  Fostering environments where people feel supported enough to take the time they need to properly recover from sickness, or work with provisions in place to support a disability, benefits everyone – from improved productivity and morale, to reducing recovery delays, while also preventing rampant office contagions.