Group Protection

Early intervention on employee absence can markedly increased return to work rates, according to Legal & General.

As stress takes its toll, 33% of public sector employers said their average employee takes more than five days off sick per year, compared to 15.9% in the private sector.

The fit note is not reducing absence yet as sickness time off increased to 190 million lost working days at a cost of £17bn to employers last year, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said.

The government has vowed to press ahead with reform of the welfare state as its latest statistics show less than a quarter of those applying for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are successful.

Aviva has called on the government to offer incentives to employers who offer workplace health and rehabilitation services to address sickness absence.

Employers underestimate the importance of the benefits they offer staff after new research revealed half of employees would move jobs for better benefits.

The group risk market has begun to recover from the effects of recession although income protection is still in decline, according to Swiss Re.

GPs routinely see patients dismissed from their job during illness, as employers struggle with workplace health and absence, legal & General (L&G) has found.

There has been much to smile about this year in the group life market, but as Owain Thomas discovers, there is still one problem that could see advisers on the hook for millions of pounds in uninsured liabilities

NEST (the National Employment Savings Trust) could open the door to expansion of the group life market, according to new research.