Mayfield says a culture shift is needed in workplaces |
| Former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield has told The Times he wants to see a shift in workplace culture over sick leave. He says employees should directly inform their managers when unwell to foster open dialogue. Mayfield, lead author of the Keep Britain Working review, said: "It's very important that you're immediately establishing a contact, a dialogue, between the employer and the employee . . . So you can't just text, send a WhatsApp, or send an email. You've actually got to ring somebody up. It gives you the opportunity to have a conversation." He says workers will need to feel safe talking to their line manager, observing: "Some people worry they'll lose their job, or not get a pay rise, or be seen as someone who's not going to be as good an employee in the long term." But, he notes, employers are fearful too. "In the UK we have become very procedural and risk aware in terms of the cost of a complaint or a grievance, let alone a tribunal . . . And so you actually have quite a lot of situations where people will be advised not to contact employees when they're off sick." |
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