1st February 2007
Leading disability insurer, UnumProvident, has announced the launch of a new Absence Management Assessment service.
The new assessment will be delivered through ‘WorkMatters’, a new range of insurance-related services from the UnumProvident group of companies covering both the assessment and occupational rehabilitation training programmes.
The ‘WorkMatters’ assessment will provide a unique insight into the adequacy of an employer’s method of managing sickness absence, which UnumProvident believes from its experience in Group Income Protection products is required in view of changing work patterns and lifestyles.
One in five of the working population are at risk of not being able to work due to long-term illness [1]. And the number of people who are claiming incapacity benefit has risen from less than one million in the early 1980’s to over 2.3 million by the mid 1990’s [2]. An absence management assessment programme can help identify areas of risk in the work place and ensure that a programme is in place to manage effective health and safety and return to work where appropriate.
The absence management service is designed to help businesses evaluate their absence management procedures and protocols. By first identifying a company’s particular trouble spots for sickness absence, the assessment is able to help them focus on areas for improvement, and find ways to mitigate them.
Key benefits include:
- A standardised benchmark against recognised best practice
- An evaluation of strengths and weaknesses in the current system
- A monitoring tool to assess the impact of any changes in the employer’s absence management practices
- A forum for discussion and greater co-operation between management and staff by highlighting and deploying a consensus-based approach to absence management
- A work plan for introducing improvements
- The potential for reducing the number of days lost to injuries and illness
- The potential for reducing the costs of income protection insurance
The absence management assessment programme is already being used in countries around the world, including Canada, Australia and Germany, and UnumProvident has sole rights to administer it in the UK. It is based on the principles and structure of the tool developed by the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR) in Canada.
Each assessment is undertaken by certified assessors who must be experienced in the field of absence management, work to a set standard of practice, abide by ethical standards and professional conduct, and pass a comprehensive examination based on practical application of the assessment programme.
Joy Reymond, Head of Rehabilitation Services at UnumProvident, said:
Ill and injured workers often stay off work until they have completely recovered. This can cause serious issues for the business if people are off for long periods of time and can be devastating for the individual if they do not return at all.
For companies that have a Group Income Protection policy, an absence assessment programme can help reinforce its effectiveness by assessing areas of risk and ensuring that a programme is in place to manage effective health and safety and, where appropriate, return to work. It can also help them to secure a stable premium for the scheme.
The better an organisation knows its own procedures, its ways of working and even the culture of its workers, the better it can improve its performance. And, if it can compare these to accepted best practices, it can identify its strengths and weaknesses and amend its business plan accordingly.
Companies that achieve a high standard will be accredited by ‘WorkMatters’ as having demonstrated good absence management practices. A personalised accreditation plaque will be presented to commend the company’s best practices in absence management and support in the workplace.
For further information on the Absence Management Assessment service contact workmatters@unumprovident.co.uk
ENDS
Notes:
1) Financial Marketing Pocket Book 2006
2) Office of National Statistics, NHS