The need: The growing levels of absence across the UK present an ongoing challenge for workers, people professionals and employers and society. Supporting people to return to and stay in work is vital, yet too often absence management practices are poorly implemented and policies are punitive and outdated to todays ways of working. Professor Jo Yarker was commissioned by the CIPD to:

• develop new guidance for people professionals to set out guiding principles to inform organisational policy
• encourage people professionals to review organisational policies and practices against the new guidance
• develop materials to support the implementation of new practices to improve return to work support for employees returning to work following long-term absence.

The approach:

• Evidence review to identify principles of good practice
• Co-development of guidance materials with key stakeholder including an iterative design process liaising with the CIPD, charities, academics, multi-disciplinary professionals and employers
• Refinement of guidance guided by evidence-based frameworks to ensure accessibility and engagement
• To review the outputs see: Managing a return to work after long-term absence guide developed for the CIPD

The outcome:

• The CIPD guidance has been shared to their 160,000 members worldwide and has been identified as a successful campaign, with month on month leading engagement
• The resources are recommended by other professional bodies including the Mind and Royal Foundation collaboration 'Mental Health at Work', Society of Occupational Medicine, Acas and has been widely shared at mental health and health at work conferences nationally
• The CIPD commissioned Affinity Health at Work to develop new guidance for people professionals to support people to manage long term conditions: https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/guides/support-long-term-health-conditions/