News Article - 24 May 2012
Category: Business

New research from Aviva UK Health reveals the majority of UK employees do not feel able to inform their boss of health concerns or personal issues. According to the company's Health of the Workplace 4 study, only 4% of employees would consider confiding in a manager when feeling unwell.

A further 5% might confide in a colleague, whilst just 1% would consider talking to the HR department. Outside the workplace, staff are far more likely to talk about health issues, with 60% confiding in a partner and 33% in the family doctor.

When questioned as to why talking to a manager was unlikely, 23% said it was a matter of safeguarding privacy. 21% believe admitting to ill health could affect promotion prospects whilst 11% don't trust their boss enough to speak openly.

From the viewpoint of employees, these figures suggest the employee-employer relationship is suffering. Yet employers remain convinced of a positive two-way relationship with staff, and believe workers feel confident enough to approach them freely. 39% of employers surveyed by Aviva feel they actively identify relevant employee issues, whilst 42% claim to operate an open-door policy.

Some employers are taking positive steps to address health issues in the workplace, such as introducing confidential helplines. Yet employees remain unaware of what support is available, and negative beliefs - such as ill health affecting promotion prospects - are likely prevent significant uptake of these services.

Addressing the employee-employer relationship on a personal level, and ensuring staff feel confident enough to talk openly with managers, are essential steps if businesses want to make sure workers feel supported on health issues. Whilst introducing new initiatives, such as helplines and private healthcare is a step in the right direction, these will only succeed if the stigma surrounding ill health is eliminated.

Fewer man-hours available in the post-recession climate are a likely cause of employer-employee relationship breakdown. Managers have been expected to add extra duties to their workload, resulting in less time available for people management.

Whilst Access business software can't change how managers engage with their staff, it can help to simplify processes across the whole organisation, reducing the administrative burden.  Access HR software, for instance, can streamline common HR processes, such as recruitment and vacancy records management, allowing managers more time to build up rapport with workers and take steps to improve relationships. This is just one of the ways that software and technology can help take some of the strain and free up valuable time. 

For more information, please call Access on 0845 345 3300.

Article keywords: industry news, business news, workplace health, business software, the access group, enterprise software, accounting software, hr solutions, business solutions

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