Full Breakdown
Sir Charlie Mayfield urges phone contact to curb health-related job loss
By Drooid · · How we work
Core recommendation: phone contact to keep sick workers engaged
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the government-appointed back-to-work expert who leads the Keep Britain Working taskforce, says employers should maintain regular phone contact with staff who are off sick. He argues that a simple conversation, rather than relying solely on emails and sick notes, can help prevent long-term disengagement and keep people in the labour market.
Economic cost and scale
Mayfield’s latest report estimates that health-related economic inactivity costs Britain roughly £210 billion a year in benefit payments and lost output. The analysis also notes that about 300,000 people leave work each year because of health conditions, a figure the taskforce believes is largely preventable with better workplace communication.
Official statements and response
In an interview on the BBC’s *Today* programme, Mayfield warned that Britain is doing a “poor job” of handling sickness in the workplace, leading to higher rates of disengagement. He highlighted that both employees and employers often fear discussing long-term health issues—workers worry about stigma, while managers fear complaints or grievances. This mutual apprehension, he says, creates distance that can turn short-term absences into permanent exits from the labour force.
Expected impact
Mayfield contends that keeping more people employed would create a “massive opportunity” to add billions to the economy and improve livelihoods. By re-humanising workplace interactions and establishing a Workplace Health System alongside the NHS, the taskforce hopes to reduce the long-term economic burden of health-related inactivity.
Verbatim quotes
- “I'm not worried about a day here and a day there. It is more about longer term issues,” — Sir Charlie, government-appointed back-to-work expert
- “I have met so many people who have said to me, 'You know, I was signed off sick and I was off sick for a month, two months, three months, and I had almost no contact with my employer',” — Sir Charlie, government-appointed back-to-work expert
- “If you can keep more people in work, there's a massive opportunity for us to add billions to the economy and, frankly, to people's livelihoods,” — Sir Charlie, government-appointed back-to-work expert
