Tackle mental ill health with rehabilitation, says new guide

A new guide published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has focused on the role of rehabilitation in helping workers who are off sick with stress and other mental health problems.

Recovery, rehabilitation and retention: maintaining a productive workforce looks at how to support workers who are having difficulties in their personal and working lives. It covers:

* making adjustments to the work role or conditions of workers who have an illness or disability;

* helping staff back to work after they have been off sick for more than a month; and

* helping workers remain at work while trying to cope with a problem affecting themselves or a dependant.

In a CIPD survey, more than half of employers reported an increase in stress-related absence last year. They also "highlighted the significant impact of mental ill-health issues on long-term absence levels."

The guide gives employers advice on supporting, rehabilitating and retaining staff. It emphasises the need for a "case management" approach to rehabilitation, to ensure that someone - a line manager, human resources officer, etc - is responsible for ensuring that an individual's return to work is managed consistently.

It also makes suggestions for developing rehabilitation policies and procedures.

"Employers must do more than simply request and file a sick note if they are to cut absence," said CIPD employee relations adviser Ben Wilmott. "Engaging with staff will help both organisations and employees."

The CIPD guide is available at www.cipd.co.uk/guides