Consultation on ill health in the workplace - what's important to you

[KnitEatCrochetRepeat]

Hi everyone,

Today I came across a consultation that the Department of Health and Department of Work and Pensions are conducting.

They are looking at changes they could make to get more disabled people and people with long term conditions into work, including:

1. expanding the equality act to cover all long term health conditions, not just those classed as disabilities

(all cancer are already classed as disabilities but this is not widely known by all employers, so this new idea may still benefit cancer patients by increasing awareness of the need for support)

2. changes to Statutory Sick Pay, so people working non-traditional hours can get access

3. Increasing the provision of occupational health services

4. A campaign to improve awareness of reasonable adjustments and long term ill employee rights among employers, especially smaller ones without HR departments.

As Advocacy Officer, I have heard from people struggling to know what their rights or to talk about them with work. Does it please you to hear that the government are addressing this from the employer's side? Is there anything you think they have missed that might help?

Full details here, plus how to respond if you want to: gov.uk/government/consultat....

[emmieb-UK]

I struggled most with mental health issues going back to work. I'd been in isolation avoiding people and got dreadful anxiety and panic attacks building up to going to work and then when i was back. When I went back, with the support of some Macmillan counselling, I had discussed with my counsellor what I could do. My manager was furious, saying in exasperation well what can you do that is part of your job. She was particularly cross that I had come back to work with a prepared list of what I could manage. She felt it was her job to tell me what to do whereas I felt we were being helpful. I would have quit but I needed to beat it. Luckily I'm still in the same job and my manager now has more experience but I think a set protocol/form/etc would have helped her so she could just run through the questions. They'd need to be open and sympathetic though rather than draconian. At the end of the day, employers should not want to miss out on experienced and skilled people just for the sake of whatever illness or disability is happening for them.

[2003UK Champion]

Thanks Charlotte this is very good news. I would like to stress that by both parties discussing 'reasonable adjustments' and hopefully agreeing a way forward can be such a win-win situation.