Letter: Sick note warning

Jenny Hjul (Comment, 21 October) suggests sickness absence is the ruination of the economy, and it's true that, on the face of it, the statistics look alarming. I have done some initial research into the rhetoric surrounding sick-leave figures, and I believe the situation is more complex than some of the "statistics" suggest.

First, it's often unclear how these statistics are collected - whether they represent sickness benefit payments, or (as I suspect) equivalent employee salary - in which case no recognition is made of how productive the emloyee is when not off sick, especially if a senior manager.

Secondly, there is the recording of absence. As someone who partly makes a living from what I write, I can work at home and still be productive if I have a bad cold or flu. The same would not have applied if I were a dustman - it would have been six weeks or so before I'd have been capable of returning to work.

Lastly, I have read umpteen studies of sickness absence and how most people are really "swinging the lead", but I have never seen a study of people who don't take sick leave, yet they do exist. What are the reasons for their apparent good health?

I suspect it's a mixture of having a job with flexibility of location, and, maybe more important, having a job where their contribution is genuinely valued and appreciated - but I would love to know more!

(Dr) Mary Brown

Department of Management

Aberdeen Business School

Robert Gordon University

Aberdeen