Sick note culture.
The latest brilliant idea from the government, designed to boost growth, is quite staggering. They are going to make it more difficult to get sick notes when you are ill.
The inadequacy of this response to a strategic problem is amazing but not so amazing as the absolute stupidity involved.
If Covid told us anything it was that when you are ill, you should stay at home and stop infecting other people. This was made worse because the UK has, quite deliberately, very low sick pay levels, supposedly to discourage shirking. The result was a higher rate of infection and a worse economic hit.
If the government really wants to help the economy, increasing sick pay and improving the NHS would make a great difference. That might even encourage some of the huge numbers who have left the workforce to return.
Trumpeting the fact that they will be forced to work when ill, won’t.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media