“Telephonists ‘not tea-drinkers’” – Absenteeism, medical certification, and the postwar British welfare state
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According to the Manchester Guardian in 1954, civil servants had developed a reputation for ‘tea-drinking and form filling… [taking] a day off whenever they feel like it’. This was a serious problem for a nascent welfare state that needed peak productivity to pay off its war debts.
This paper discusses medical absenteeism and the role of medical certification in determining “real” sickness in postwar Britain. The research comes from Sick Note: A History of the British Welfare State recently published by Oxford University Press. It shows how the scientific credentials of sick notes have always been questioned; yet they have remained central to policing the boundaries of “legitimate” absence. The debates surrounding this show the interconnectivity of medical, social security and employment policy in the British welfare state.
All welcome- this session is free to attend but booking is required.
This page was last updated on 30 June 2024