Bosses claim doctors are authorising too much sick leave for stress-related problems at employers' expense.
Paul Jarvie, from the Employers and Manufacturers Association, says people can take anywhere from three weeks to three months' stress leave, but he says there is no feedback, which would enable employers to identify what caused
the stress in the first place.
Mr Jarvie says that under the new Health and Safety in Employment Act, employers have to proactively identify stress factors in the workplace that could lead to staff suffering from the effects of stress and fatigue.
But he says the Occupational Safety and Health division of the Labour Department will not accept stress itself as a medical condition.
Mr Jarvie says it is not uncommon for an employer to tackle an employee over a performance issue, only to find the staff member's GP puts them on stress leave on the day of their performance review meeting.
He says the Medical Association should put out guidelines for GPs to clarify the medical definition of stress.
Mr Jarvie will address the Annual Health and Safety in Employment conference starting today. He will discuss what he claims is the dysfunctional way doctors have been managing patients who may be suffering from stress.
- Newstalk ZB
