Every work environment must maintain the health of its workers as it is essential to productivity, employee morale and overall success. Sick leave policies and health benefits are often considered an administrative burden, but they are part of a larger system of support called occupational health. Occupational health works to make sure employees get the right medical treatment, can safely return to their jobs and stay healthy over the long-term. Knowing how occupational health connects to sick leave, health benefits and medical treatment will provide insight into creating a supportive/Sustainable working environment.
What Is Sick Leave?
Sick leave provides employees with the option of taking time off from their jobs due to illness or injury without additional pressure associated with losing income or their jobs. Sick leave is a basic employee benefit and allows employees enough time for recovery, rather than having to work while ill, potentially worsening their condition and spreading germs to coworkers.
Sick leave is not just about how long someone is off from work; it’s also about how employees use this time. Occupational health is essential to managing sick leave. It ensures that sick leave is administered in a manner conducive to assisting the employee in recovery while promoting the long-term health of the employee.
The role of occupational health in sick leave management
Occupational health professionals such as Workforce Wellbeing, are critical to ensuring appropriate sick leave. For employees away from work for extended periods of time or with frequent absences, an occupational health assessment may be recommended to identify the health issue and how the employee’s ability to perform his/her job is affected by that issue, and to determine what accommodations or support might be necessary.
Occupational health does not function as a gatekeeper. Rather, it acts as a bridge between the employee and the employer by providing each party with direct access to the objective, confidential information needed to make informed decisions. For example, occupational health may recommend a phased return to work or modified duties for an employee recovering from a physical injury to help avoid future injury or illness.
Occupational health plays an important role in providing assistance to employees dealing with mental health issues like job stress or burnout. It can recommend types of interventions such as counselling, modifying job duties to accommodate the employee’s capacity, and providing flexible work arrangements. These options help the employee to recover but, more importantly, reduce their chances of being absent from work again.
Health Coverage and Access to Care
Another aspect of good mental health is health insurance. Having access to medical care allows employees to receive timely treatment when they need it. However, it is possible that having insurance may not provide employees with the information or support needed for them to make an informed decision regarding their use of medical resources.
Occupational health can bridge the gap between having insurance and receiving good care when they need it through expert consulting and coordination of care. Occupational health professionals will help employees find and access services that may be required for their return to work, including medical care, rehabilitation, or support by specialists. In addition, they can work with healthcare providers to coordinate the employee’s treatment and schedule with their job-related requirements.
This coordination of care allows for a better understanding of the care received by the employee, and thus improves the patient’s quick recovery, improves the likelihood of a continuous workflow till the transition back to work is completed.
Safe and Sustainable Work Re-Entry
Coming back to work after being sick or hurt can be very difficult for both employees and employers. While employees can feel nervous if they will be able to perform their job well, employers worry about employees’ ability to return to work safely and productively. The occupational health profession can assist in making the transition back to work easier.
When someone is getting ready to go back to work, fitness-for-work assessments provide information on an employee’s readiness for work, including what accommodations will be necessary to support their return. Adjustments like modifications of hours, work tasks, and or ergonomic improvements allow for an employee to regain their confidence and strength, without risking their health.
When an employee’s return to work is managed well, both the employer and employee benefit from the support provided and feel valued. The employer also reduces the risk for employees to have absent days or experience complications due to an inadequate return to work process.
How to Prevent Further Illness
An additional area of importance related to return to work is that of prevention. Occupational health professionals are able to create value for an organisation by reviewing and analysing sick leave history, as well as identifying common health-related reasons for absence from work.
When many employees are experiencing problems related to musculoskeletal conditions, this may signal that the work environment needs improvement through ergonomics. When a large number of employees are absent due to stress-related causes this may point to the need for better management of the employees workload, or a need for mental health support.
The occupational health professional can assist in providing recommendations to address the underlying causes of these problems thus creating a healthier workplace and minimising the need for sick leave.
Sick leave, insurance benefits and employee care are vital parts of a healthy working environment; however, they must also be supported by occupational health. Occupational health can provide the necessary assessments, resources and proactive strategies so employees get the care needed and continue to work in a safe and effective manner. As workplace demands continue to increase, it is imperative that occupational health is integrated into day-to-day practise. Implementing occupational health creates a balanced system that puts an equal emphasis on productivity and wellness, thus ensuring that employees at work not only have the ability to attend work but also have the necessary behind-the-scenes support to achieve that.
