Upcoming Events :
Seminar: Outsourcing and Contract Procurement
Tue 28 Feb 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Fit note 'is designed to change attitudes towards work'
Mon 29 Mar 2010
A government adviser has said she hopes the fit note scheme will lead to a change in the culture regarding workplace sickness.
Under the system, which comes into place next month, GPs will be able to advise bosses whether employees who have been off sick are able to return to work and perform amended duties.
According to Dame Carol Black, the national director for health and work, this could lead to a shift in people's attitudes about their jobs and what they can do.
However, she told the Financial Times that she expects this change to be incremental rather than immediate.
Dame Carol said the implementation of the fit note policy marks the start of a "slow revolution" and a period of "better early intervention".
Despite her optimism, a recent study by Aviva found that many employers are sceptical about the fit note, with just five per cent believing they would reduce absence rates in the workplace.
Government estimates suggest that fit notes could benefit the UK economy by about £240 million over the next decade.
David von Hagen, employment law partner at Winckworth Sherwood Solicitors, shares employers' scepticism, saying: "Let's wait and see what happens.
"Sickness absence is probably the single biggest HR issue in the UK, and I am uncertain whether a different kind of medical certificate is going to change that.
"Most malingerers tend to take short periods off work which they can self-certify without a medical certificate anyway."
