Let’s face it. When employees hear that their manager wants to refer them to Occupational Health, they often jump to massive conclusions – and often the first thought is that it is a step towards exiting them from the organisation. And we’d be lying if we said that this is never the case, because sometimes that is the ultimate outcome. But when dealing with long term sickness absence or sickness that is affecting the individual’s ability to attend or perform at work, there are many reasons why a referral is a positive investment of time and money – both for the individual and the organisation.
Reasons to consider using Occupational Health services
- The vast majority of managers are not clinically trained. So when a team member presents with a medical condition, they often struggle to understand the implications of it when it comes to the person’s ability to fulfil their role and how to support them in doing so. An occupational health referral results in independent clinical advice to help both parties.
- GPs can sign people off – but an Occupational Health service provider can look at the condition from an employment perspective. GPs are reliant on what their patient tells them about the demands of their role, but a referral to Occupational Health includes the provision of job details (usually in the form of a job description) so that the case can be reviewed with the workplace in mind. This means that the employer has a better insight into support they can provide, the future prognosis, and what their options may be regarding the person’s future employment situation.
- Occupational Health services can give the individual valuable advice about their condition
We had a case where the employee was delighted to have been given knowledgeable feedback about ways to manage her symptoms that had not previously been suggested by her own GP. - Fitness to attend meetings can be established. Being too unwell to attend work is not the same as being too ill to meet with an employer to discuss absence, and indeed a discussion with the employer is often the first step towards addressing issues, feeling better and making a successful return to work.
Rather than being seen as a last resort, Occupational Health services should be seen as a valuable tool employers can use for managing absence. If you need advice on managing absence and understanding whether a referral to an Occupational Health provider would be appropriate, contact us to arrange a chat with one of our HR consultants. We can facilitate a referral for you through our Occupational Health providers and give you legally sound, practical advice regarding your cases.
