Sir Charlie Mayfield recommends employees phone their managers when requesting sick leave to preserve immediate dialogue and reduce the risk of long-term job loss. His Keep Britain Working report cites a 77% increase in 16–24 year olds reporting limiting health conditions between 2015 and 2024 (about 1.2 million), with nearly half linked to mental health. The report warns that easy sign-offs and a "culture of fear" among managers contribute to rising economic inactivity and urges closer NHS-employer-local services integration.
Work Tsar Urges Staff To Phone Bosses When Sick To Prevent Long-Term Job Loss
Sir Charlie Mayfield is concerned too many Britons disengage from work after falling sick - Belinda Jiao
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former chairman of John Lewis and a senior government adviser, has recommended that employees should call their manager to request a sick day so a real-time dialogue can be established and long-term detachment from work prevented.
Speaking to The Times, Sir Charlie warned that a growing "culture of fear" — in which managers avoid contacting absent staff because of the risk of complaints or tribunals — has contributed to too many people falling out of work after becoming ill.
"What's happened in the UK is we have become very procedural and risk-aware in terms of the cost of a complaint or a grievance, let alone a tribunal. And so you actually have quite a lot of situations where people will be advised not to contact employees when they're off sick," he said.
His government-commissioned review, Keep Britain Working, focuses on roughly 300,000 people who each year leave employment because of health conditions. The report highlights a 77% rise in 16–24 year olds reporting limiting health conditions between 2015 and 2024 — about 1.2 million people — nearly half of which relate to mental health.
Key Findings
Sir Charlie noted that more than 11 million fit notes were issued last year and 93% recorded employees as unfit for work, which he said suggests it has become too easy to be signed off. He also pointed out that someone who becomes economically inactive for health reasons has only about a 3.8% chance of returning to work within a year.
Recommendations
He urged employers to establish immediate voice contact — "you can't just text, send a WhatsApp, or send an email. You've actually got to ring somebody up" — and to negotiate a tailored return-to-work plan that could include workplace physiotherapy, mental health support and better coordination with the NHS, local councils and other services.
The intervention comes as the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts the UK's welfare bill at around £333bn this year, rising to roughly £407bn by the end of the decade. Some proposals in the report echo wider policy debates, including suggestions from Reform about measures such as "Return to Work" insurance for employers.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the programme aims to help employers identify and provide better early support so workplace health support is available across all communities.
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