Family and home issues have been revealed as the main cause for workplace absence for 18 per cent of employers, according to research conducted by Group Risk Development (GRiD).
By contrast, 15 per cent said that workplace stress was the chief culprit and 12 per cent of businesses said musculoskeletal disorders were the most common reason for staff absence. Only serious medical conditions like cancer or heart attacks had equal impact.
The research comes as the new Fit Note initiative is putting more emphasis on employers to get staff back to work . Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRID, says: "The new Fit Note is geared towards facilitating employees' timely return to work as soon as they are deemed fit to work in any capacity and links in with the requirement for employers to make reasonable adjustments under the Disability Discrimination Act."
She added that Fit Notes should encourage far greater dialogue between employer and employee, which will be well supported by group income protection (GIP) providers where a GIP policy is in place.




