Calls to give workers health MOTs when starting new jobs to tackle sicknote Britain

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:31, 4 July 2026 | Updated: 01:41, 4 July 2026 Workers should be given health checks when starting new jobs to help tackle Britain's sickness epidemic, a Labour adviser has said. Former John Lewis chairman, Sir Charlie Mayfield said the UK could learn from countries such as Finland and introduce mandatory health checks when people join companies. In an update to his Keep Britain Working review, Sir Charlie has called for a phased introduction of staff health MOTs, with the scheme overseen by the Government. He said there would need to be strong safeguards over personal data, with assurances that details would not be shared with employers. Sir Charlie told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that action also needed to be taken early by employers when staff go sick: 'We are strongly encouraging employers to think about developing what we call stay in work plans. 'So rather than just waiting for someone to leave work, you act early, talk to them early, see if you can make some adjustments that allow that person to stay in work while they are getting better.' Sir Charlie added: 'You wouldn't have to build a single house, you wouldn't have to open a new channel of immigration, you wouldn't have to wait for a cohort of young people to join the workplace. This is basically growth hiding in plain sight.' The report came as Germany announced workers will be forced to see a doctor to take even a single day off sick under proposals unveiled by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield pictured at the Institute of Directors convention in the Royal Albert Hall German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced plans to tackle high levels of sick leave as their economy waivers The plans, announced on Thursday, are aimed at tackling high levels of sick leave and boosting productivity as Germany's economy continues to struggle. They would scrap the current system, which allows employees to obtain a sick note over the phone and means many do not need a doctor's certificate until their third day off work. 'The number of sick days is too high,' Mr Merz told reporters. 'We are creating a set of tools that will enable those involved, both employees and companies, to correct this. 'We know this is a tough decision. But we can no longer afford the competitive disadvantage caused by prolonged absences from work.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.