Unprepared And Uninformed UK Workers And Statutory Sick Pay

Worrying new research from Aviva has shown that 52% of UK workers would be unable to support themselves for more than three months if they were off work with an illness and only receiving Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). In addition 30% of people surveyed thought they would survive less than a month and only 9% believed they would remain solvent for a year or more.

The research, which surveyed 1,000 UK employees and 500 employers in October, was conducted to highlight both employer and employee concerns about absence issues and has uncovered a worrying protection gap.
 
Over-estimating

At a time when UK workers are under increasing financial pressure and stress has been shown to be the biggest cause for long term absence the research has also uncovered that many people are not aware of the level of support they would receive if they were unable to work due to illness – meaning that in reality their finances may not stretch as far as they think.

While it’s reassuring to see that two in ten (19%) employees know how much SSP they’d be entitled to, a quarter (26%) think they’d receive considerably more: 16% of respondents believe that they would be entitled to over twice as much benefit.

Neglect

Troublingly, the research also revealed that if finances were tight, some people would disregard their health in favour of non-essentials. Nearly a quarter (23%) would put their health at risk – with:

• 14% confessing  they’d miss important health checks;
• 9% admitting they’d put up with health ailments;
• 49% saying they’d eat cheaper supermarket offers and fast foods; and
• 19% disclosing they’d use less heating/electricity.

Meanwhile only 12% say they’d cut down on cigarettes or alcohol any only one in five would cut down on family holidays.

Returning to work

Unsurprisingly 65% of workers cite financial concerns as the main reason to get back to work quickly if they are off sick. Regaining a sense of purpose (28%), getting well (21%) and providing for their families (16%) are also high priorities.
While the motivation to return to work is apparent, the research reveals that many workers are afraid of returning to the workplace after a long-term illness.  A significant number of people (44%) fear that going back to work could cause a relapse of their condition and a quarter (24%) worry that they won’t be able to work to full capacity.

However, the research also highlights the simple steps employers can take to help their employees have the confidence to return to work. Just under a half (47%) of employees say that their fears would be allayed if they knew that the proper support was available and a quarter (24%) say they’d be happier if they knew that their boss would work with them to ease their return to work.  One in ten (15%) say they’d like flexible working hours.

Employers

Employers are aware that finding a solution is important, with 25% agreeing that the rehabilitation process is vital. However there’s still work to be done to meet employees’ key concerns: only one in ten bosses said that they would consider how they could adapt the responsibilities of the worker to aid their return to work.

Steve Bridger, Head of Group Risk, Aviva, UK Health said:

“It’s understandable that over eighty per cent of people think long-term sickness is something that happens to other people. However in reality you never know what’s around the corner and few people have the savings available to support themselves and their families for very long. Employment and Support Allowance  can come to as little as £67.50 a week – even less than Statutory Sick Pay -  which in many cases would hardly cover a family’s food shopping, let alone their mortgage and other necessary expenses.

The good news is that group income protection can help employers address many of the issues identified in our research, and provide peace of mind to individuals who have enough to deal with when they are on the receiving end of unwelcome health news.”

Source: www.aviva.com

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