Absence management and wellbeing support
Absence management and wellbeing support is more than just supporting employees already off sick. Our offering provides a range of services to support prevention of absences, maintaining wellbeing at work, managing new or existing conditions and staying well and in work.
Benefits of absence management support from Unum
High success rate
In 2023, 97% of people referred to our rehab team remained in work, returned to the workplace or otherwise had their case resolved.
Expertise
Dedicated in-house team of healthcare professionals from a range of specialist backgrounds, including occupational therapy, psychology, physiotherapy and nursing.
Appropriate absence management support
Support before, during or after a claim — whether an employee is struggling at work with an illness or injury, on day one of absence or looking to phase back to work.
Experience from notable case volume
Since 2016, our in-house case managers have helped an average of over 2,200 people every year, not only during claims but also with rehabilitation support before a claim, to help them remain well.
Collaboration
We support your existing absence management policies and work alongside your occupational health provider if you have one
Dedicated helpline
For sickness absence or wellbeing queries, call us on 0345 600 6765.
How can we help?
The best time to help an employee is before a problem gets out of hand. Get in touch with us if you, or one of your employees, are:
- unsure about the hours and tasks they can do
- having trouble with or unable to carry out their full range of duties
- needing adjustments to their work or workplace
- showing signs of stress or pain
- needing practical support with their wellbeing
- working, but struggling to stay at work
- off work and needing support to return
- about to return to work after absence.
Whatever’s going on, you can call us on 0345 600 6765, or simply click the link below to make a referral. You can talk through the issue with one of our Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants (VRCs) and how we can help.
Wellbeing Checks
The very first thing we can do for employees who are struggling to manage their wellbeing while working is to offer a Wellbeing Check. These personalised consultations are held with one of our in-house VRCs and Wellbeing Consultants and help people identify self-management techniques that can help improve their wellbeing.
Employers with a Unum Group Income Protection policy can book a Wellbeing Check for one of their employees. Employees can also book a Wellbeing Check for themselves.
Customer success stories
Unum has been fortunate enough to be able to help multiple individuals and companies in the 50 years we've operated in the UK.
Spanning different industries, different products and different needs, we feel one thing stands out amongst all these customer stories: that we put absence management and wellbeing at the heart of what we do.
Steps to support you and your employees
Working with employers
Once you have referred an employee to us, we’ll work together to understand the issues involved, and to decide how we can best support your employee — to reduce, or prevent, their absence.
Triage assessment and recommendations
Our VRCs will talk to your employee about their situation and what we can do to help. At this stage we’ll provide a report setting out our recommended ‘next steps’.
Case management support and guidance
Sometimes we can help resolve an issue quite simply, but if an employee requires in-depth, one-to-one case management support, our VRCs will liaise with you to manage your employee’s sickness absence. We’ll work together to help your employee remain at, or get back to, work successfully and sustainably.
Identifying reasonable adjustments
Sometimes a small change to someone’s working hours or environment can make a big difference. We’ll show you what you can do to help employees stay safely at work, or achieve a smooth transition back to their job.
Specialised assessments
In addition to the practical measures we might suggest, we can also undertake assessments, including dyslexia vocational evaluations and ergonomic workstation assessments.
Get in touch
Remember, employers can access our rehabilitation support before, during or after a claim. Simply call us on 0345 600 6765 or use the link below to make a referral.
Working together for a holistic approach
Occupational health can include a wide range of medical and rehabilitation intervention, and the exact types of services will vary across providers. If it’s appropriate, we’re happy to work with your own occupational health provider to help prevent short-term problems turning into a long-term absence.
Remember, not every absence needs to use every rehabilitation tool and some queries can be answered over the phone.
* Please note, our VRCs do not provide pre-employment screening, medical assessments, fitness for work assessments, health screening or emergency first aid.
