Guidance
Recommendations for research
Recommendations for research
The guideline committee has made the following recommendations for research.
As part of the 2019 update, the guideline committee made 5 additional research recommendations.
Four of these relate to a UK focus on effective and cost-effective interventions to:
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support return to work after long-term sickness absence
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support return to work after recurrent short-term sickness absence
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reduce long-term sickness absence and support return to work in people with common mental health conditions
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and reduce recurrent short-term sickness absence and support return to work in people with common mental health conditions.
The other is on the challenges and potential solutions for UK employers and employees in managing sickness absence and return to work in micro-, small- and medium-sized organisations.
The committee removed 4 research recommendations from the original guideline on:
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preventing sickness absence
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evaluating interventions
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return to work interventions and programmes
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cost effectiveness.
The committee considered that the new research recommendations capture any research questions that still need to be addressed.
Key recommendations for research
1 Interventions after long-term sickness absence
What interventions are effective and cost effective in supporting return to work, in all workplaces including micro-, small- and medium-sized organisations, after long-term sickness absence in the UK?
For a short explanation of why the committee made the recommendation for research, see the rationale sections on workplace culture and policies and early intervention.
Full details of the evidence and the committee's discussion are in evidence review C: facilitating return to work from long-term sickness absence.
2 Interventions after recurrent short-term sickness absence
What interventions are effective and cost effective in supporting return to work after recurrent short-term sickness absence in the UK?
For a short explanation of why the committee made the recommendation for research, see the rationale section on workplace culture and policies.x
Full details of the evidence and the committee's discussion are in evidence review C: facilitating return to work from long-term sickness absence.
3 Interventions after long-term sickness absence for mental health conditions
For people with common mental health conditions, what interventions are effective and cost effective in reducing long-term sickness absence and supporting return to work in the UK?
For a short explanation of why the committee made the recommendation for research, see the rationale section on sustainable return to work and reducing recurrence of absence.
Full details of the evidence and the committee's discussion are in evidence review C: facilitating return to work from long-term sickness absence.
4 Interventions after recurrent short-term sickness absence for mental health conditions
For people with common mental health conditions, what interventions are effective and cost effective in reducing recurrent short-term sickness absence and supporting return to work in the UK?
For a short explanation of why the committee made the recommendation for research, see the rationale section on sustainable return to work and reducing recurrence of absence.
Full details of the evidence and the committee's discussion are in evidence review C: facilitating return to work from long-term sickness absence.
5 Challenges and potential solutions for smaller employers
What are the challenges and potential solutions for UK employers and employees in micro-, small- and medium-sized organisations (which may not have easy access to additional services such as employee assistance programmes or occupational health services) in ensuring sickness policy is managed effectively and facilitating return to work?
For a short explanation of why the committee made the recommendation for research, see the rationale section on early intervention.
Full details of the evidence and the committee's discussion are in evidence review C: facilitating return to work from long-term sickness absence.
Other recommendations for research
6 Interventions to reduce sickness absence where employees are not centrally located
Which interventions are effective and cost effective in supporting people working in organisations where employees are not centrally located to return to work after long-term sickness absence in the UK?