Vocational rehabilitation The business case for retaining newly disabled staff and those with a long-term health condition

Recommendations

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Though the case studies focus upon large employers there is nothing in the report to suggest that smaller employers would not also enjoy these benefits too. Small businesses may lack HR professionals able to address the employees’ needs and oversee the implementation of the policy but they also tend to have a closer relationship with their staff and this may help to make earlier interventions that would facilitate successful retention. Welfare to work Lord Freud in his 2007 report put the value to the treasury of getting a person off Incapacity Benefit and into work at £9,000 annually (both direct and indirect costs). Unsurprisingly the present Government adopted his recommendations and incentivised employment retention in both the Work Choice Programme and the Work Programme. Under the Work Programme in addition to a job outcome there are minimum acceptable levels of employment retention which will range from a year for young former Job Seeker Allowance claimants and two years for ex Incapacity Benefit claimants. In all cases over half the payment is premised upon achieving the minimum retention period. Providers delivering the Work Programme will need to borrow against these outcomes to finance their operating costs and avoid a cash flow problem. Each unnecessary exit from the labour market carries a cost to the Government and a risk to the performance of employment support providers who are paid by results. Success therefore is clearly not just about getting disabled people into work but keeping them there too. Benefits over time Adoption of employment retention is likely to become more important with time. The Government is raising the retirement age for entitlement for the state pension and an older workforce will mean that there will be more disabled workers too, since disability is correlated with advancing age. Finally, economic recovery is linked to more people being economically active in the UK. This requires a blurring of the distinction between not being able to work and being able to work. Measures, such as workplace health interventions that respect people’s need for treatment and adjustment to their new life circumstances but maintains their link to work, will be vital to expanding the numbers of both producers and consumers in the economy. 20
Recommendations 1. Businesses should adopt an employment retention policy in line with current best practice and guidance. RNIB asks that they signal this by signing the employment retention charter and returning this to us so that we can monitor the impact of this report, see Appendix 4. The Employment Retention Charter In our role as employers we are committed to those early intervention measures that aid the retention of staff who become disabled or develop a disabling illness. We recognise that work can often be an important part of treatment and recovery after accident or the onset of an impairment. We endorse the principle of employment retention and welcome its potential for strengthening the bond between employers and employees and for its contribution to our organisation’s efforts to reflect the diversity of our customers and the community in which we reside. We invite all stakeholders to join us in making the vision of employment retention a reality for all. 2. The Government should add its own support to the voluntary adoption of the policy of employment retention. Pending a satisfactory evaluation of the “Fit for Work” pilots, the Government should manifest its support through a national vocation rehabilitation programme. 3. The policy of employment retention should be more widely understood and promoted amongst employers and those they employ specialising in human resources. The relevant professional bodies should contribute to this greater awareness and understanding through the following methods: • training HR professionals in the business case for employment retention and the use of sickness absence monitoring tools • adding cost benefit tools to accountancy packages such as Sage that are used for the financial oversight of small businesses • publicising existing Government support programmes such as the “Access to Work Programme”. 21
Page 1 and 2: Vocational rehabilitation The busin
Page 3 and 4: Contents Introduction 4 The case fo
Page 5 and 6: The case for employment retention T
Page 7 and 8: eckoner guide to assess when to int
Page 9 and 10: Case studies College of Occupationa
Page 11 and 12: How the benefits outweigh the costs
Page 13 and 14: How to identify the costs and savin
Page 15 and 16: Calculating the figures If any redu
Page 17 and 18: Case study 2 This case study is bas
Page 19: Why everyone benefits The value of
Page 23 and 24: 15 NHS Health and Well-being Review
Page 25 and 26: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Page 27 and 28: Microlink Disability and Reasonable
Page 29 and 30: Appendix 2: Model conversation for
Page 31 and 32: Appendix 3: The role of technology
Page 33 and 34: Appendix 4: The Employment Retentio

Vocational rehabilitation The business case for retaining newly disabled staff and those with a long-term health condition

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