Veteran’s champion and strictly star JJ Chalmers calls on businesses to adopt military style ‘never leave anyone behind’ approach for those on long-term sick

Invictus Gold medallist JJ Chalmers is calling on companies to follow the military’s lead when it comes to helping employees on long-term sick back into the workplace.

“It’s in the toughest times when you really realise who you have in your corner,” JJ says, who was injured while serving in Afghanistan in 2014. “Luckily, the Royal Marines were like an extended family for me and were firmly in mine, but for too many people, their employers don’t even consider the importance of this kind of support.

“I was in a hospital bed for nine weeks. I was a skeleton, losing muscle and fat while the doctors were helping me to rebuild a new body. The psychological impact was huge. One minute I was jumping out of helicopters in Afghanistan, and the next I was so weak I couldn’t even stand on my tiptoes. I was just 23, but I knew I had to rebuild a new life. My employer looked after me - they cared about me and wanted to fix me so I could pursue a new path. They recognised that by helping me to recover they could get me back to some form of work and get my life back on track as quickly as possible.

“Businesses really need to take a leaf out of the military’s book – if you want a resilient and motivated workforce, your people need to know you will offer the right help when people really need it. Through this process of recovery, it can make us much more resilient and stronger all round.

“Most people want resources and support to get back to their life, but don’t have the means to do so. The approach must be holistic, meaning physical, mental, and social recovery all must be taken into consideration. I had dangerously low morale at times during my recovery, but I found strength in the people around me, my family, and the rehab teams, who wanted me to get better. Thanks to technologies, like social media, you can stay connected to those who have lived through similar experiences to yourself really easily.

“The country points to the military as an example of efficiency, but to have an efficient and motivated workforce, people need to know they’re looked after in their hour of need.

“We know for a fact that getting peoples’ lives back on track as quickly as possible it can prevent a whole host of mental health strains, from anxiety, to depression, to even in some cases suicidal thoughts. Much of this could be avoided if the proper support was structure was in place to get people to the point of recover quicker.

“The two biggest reasons that people are signed off work for a long time are mental health and musculoskeletal issues, I know when I have struggled with both it has made me feel that I’m unable to contribute to society and have in fact taken away from it. Rehab can be an incredibly effective tool in helping people who feel like this, none of whom want to be sat at home not working, and many of whom are struggling to pay the bills as a result of taking time off.

“Rehabilitation doesn’t always go in one direction nor on a straight path, but the process builds up a lot of resilience. I remember the small victories, for example the first time I was able to put a t-shirt on by myself.

“Despite the huge benefits of helping people back into work, around two thirds of workers on long-term sick leave aren’t offered any type of rehab by their employer. Imagine the positive impact that would come from all employers offering this kind of support.

“This isn’t a niche issue – all types of businesses of all sizes are affected, and it’s costing them money too. If the Government could help to change this by making companies publicly disclose what rehabilitation programmes they have in place to new applicants, not only will it help their own bottom line, but will help millions of people around the country access a vital service which can have life-changing benefits.”