Worker Disability And Absence Challenge Employers – InsuranceNewsNet

InsuranceNewsNet — Your Industry. One Source.™

Sign in
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home Now reading Top Stories
Topics
    • Life Insurance
    • Annuity News
    • Health/Employee Benefits
    • Property and Casualty
    • Advisor News
    • Washington Wire
    • Regulation News
    • Sponsored Content
    • Webinars
    • Monthly Focus
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Free Newsletters
Sign in or register to be an INNsider.
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Free Newsletters
  • Insider
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Staff
  • Contact
  • Newsletters

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Health/Employee Benefits News
Top Stories RSS Get our newsletter
Order Prints
April 10, 2019 Top Stories No comments
Share
Share
Tweet
Email

Worker Disability And Absence Challenge Employers

By Susan Rupe

Nearly one-third of the year – 112 days. That’s the average length of time employees are out of work because of a mental health condition, according to research from The Standard.

The disability insurance provider released the results of a study that showed employee absence and disability are challenging employers in a tight job market.

In addition to the above-mentioned statistic on mental health leave, The Standard’s study showed some other disconcerting numbers surrounding employee absence:

  • Employees with chronic conditions are out of work an average of 64 days.
  • The average disability leave is 59 days.
  • 60 percent of U.S. employers have job openings that stay vacant for 12 weeks or longer.

These drains on workforce productivity and extended job vacancies are costing companies an average of more than $800,000 annually, The Standard said.

“It’s one of those things that are right in front of everybody, but nobody is talking about it the right way,” said Dan McMillan, vice president of employee benefits for The Standard. “There’s a little bit of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ with employers and advisors who think about employee absence and disability.”

McMillan said that it’s important for DI carriers, advisors and employers to understand the impact of absence and disability on the workplace. “It’s something employers are missing if they’re not managing it well,” he said.

Most employers who participated in the study said they need help keeping up with employee absence and disability laws. Sixty-one percent said that with so many absence and disability laws and guidelines, it’s hard to know which ones apply to their workplace. More than half of employers also said they need help staying on top of best practices for absence and disability, and when it is legal to fire an employee for being out too much.

Not knowing how to deal with these issues can lead to lawsuits and complaints. Three-quarters of human resource decision-makers at large companies told The Standard they have experienced complaints or lawsuits related to absence practices. Nearly as many experienced complaints or lawsuits related to disability management. Up to one-third of small-business owners said they are in the same boat, with fewer resources to deal with time-consuming disputes.

Two-thirds of HR decision-makers said their companies receive at least one request per year to accommodate a worker with a temporary physical disability. About half of the HR professionals said they are asked at least once a year to accommodate a worker with a chronic condition.

Percentage of workers taking leave for the following conditions:

Employers said they do provide accommodations to workers who need them. These accommodations include modifying a work schedule or providing leave, providing ergonomic or adaptive equipment, and referring a worker to support systems such as an employee assistance program.

However, fewer than half of employers said they provided other types of accommodations, such as job reassignment or modified worksites.

Employers said they also are dealing with mental health issues among their workers, with 38 percent saying they get requests to accommodate mental health conditions at least once a year.

Workers with chronic conditions reported their own set of issues. More than half (56 percent) said they are afraid of being seen as unproductive and concerned they might lose their jobs. Forty-seven percent said they are scared to discuss their condition at work.

The bottom line impact of these findings “is very real,” McMillan said.  “Employers understand it’s a problem but don’t know what to do about it. Today’s workforce has four generations in it. The approach is not always the same as it might have been a decade or two ago. The ability to keep all those productive employees in place is good for the employer and the employee.”

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.

© Entire contents copyright 2019 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com.

Older

NIPR Adds New Features To Its Mobile App For Producers

Newer

NAIC Tackles Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Reform

Advisor News

  • Teach your clients effective strategies for today’s retirement
  • Consumers are pulling back on spending. They're also tapping savings and taking on debt.
  • Banks announce dividend plansTruist, Wells Fargo, Bank of America announce dividend hike plans
  • Jerry Shenk: Social Security demagoguery
  • Rick Kahler: My state flunked financial literacy. How about yours?
More Advisor News

Annuity News

  • Winning $300 million Powerball ticket purchased in Middlebury
  • Sammons names Kevin Mechtley to newly created product innovation role
  • Athene completes pension group annuity deal with Lockheed Martin
  • Integrity expands annuity, life insurance distribution with Annuity Agents Alliance
  • Nationwide increases roll-up rate, payout percentage on L.inc+ suite
Sponsor
More Annuity News

Health/Employee Benefits News

  • Aetna drops prior authorization for most cataract surgeries
  • Despite recession fears, employers look to enhance benefits in 2023
  • How will Roe v. Wade reversal impact employee health plans?
  • Jury still out on new insurance plan for Idaho schools
  • Citadel reaches $7.85M settlement over switching patients to boost Medicare payments
More Health/Employee Benefits News

Life Insurance

  • Wisconsin seeks policyholders of insolvent Time Insurance Co. products
  • 4 things to know about the return of premium life insurance
  • Murdaugh, Curtis Smith hit with new SC grand jury indictments
  • Foresters Financial boosts UL crediting rate to 4.75%
  • Protective Life releases 2021 sustainability report
More Life Insurance

- Presented By -

How to Write For InsuranceNewsNet

Find out how you can submit content for publishing on our website.
View Guidelines

FEATURED OFFERS

It’s time for John Hancock Insurance • See how our cutting-edge solutions can help you grow your life insurance business. Get to know us.
Grow your life insurance business with John Hancock • It’s time to see how our cutting-edge solutions can help you and your clients get to know us.

Press ReleasesAll press releases

  • iPipeline® Provides Advisors Excel with Unified Path Toward Accessing Core Data Analytics in Financial Services
  • iPipeline® Adds Speed of Underwriting to Quote Engine with Ethos to Deliver Insurance to Agents in Minutes
  • National Life Will Host Annual Investor Call
  • RFP #T01622
  • OneAmerica Commits $1 Million Toward Financial Literacy
Add your Press Release >

Topics

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits
  • Property and Casualty
  • Advisor News
  • Washington Wire
  • Regulation News
  • Sponsored Content
  • Webinars
  • Monthly Focus

Top Sections

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits News
  • Property and Casualty News
  • AdvisorNews
  • Washington Wire
  • Insurance Webinars

Our Company

  • About
  • Editorial Staff
  • Magazine
  • Write for INN
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Sign up for our FREE e-Newsletter!

Get breaking news, exclusive stories, and money- making insights straight into your inbox.

select Newsletter Options
Facebook Linkedin Twitter
© 2022 InsuranceNewsNet.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • AdvisorNews

Sign in with your INNsider Account

Not registered? Become an INNsider.