Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former John Lewis boss who now advises the Treasury, has recommended that employees should phone their boss when off sick rather than send a text or email, as part of efforts to tackle the UK's sicknote culture.
Writing in the Daily Express, Mieka Smiles argues the measure is "mind-bogglingly obvious" but important, and says the dreaded "I'm sick" call acts as a natural filter for those tempted to play hooky. She recalls her own mother's rule about staying off school sick, which involved the warning that she would not be able to go out with friends that night.
Benefits bill set to rise to £333billion
Sir Charlie's intervention comes as the UK welfare bill is set to rise to £333billion. There has also been a 77% increase in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds reporting health conditions that limit their ability to work between 2015 and 2024, with mental health accounting for almost half.
Mayfield says that under the current system, being signed off sick is too easy, and that bosses dare not contact staff who are on the sick due to a "culture of fear". Smiles agrees, noting that the mere thought of making the weak-voiced call to her boss fills her with enough dread to make her haul herself to her desk.
Call for Burnham to act
Smiles writes that this should be the absolute minimum any workplace can insist upon without fear of repercussions from employees threatening to sue, which Mayfield says is part of the issue.
She concludes that Andy Burnham has made it clear he is not going to tackle the benefits crisis, but hopes he will implement this easy measure and "doesn't call in sick".
