As a responsible employer and personally active in sport within our community, I felt this would be a wonderful way of ensuring our staff took up such an “offer” as the benefits of such a health check-up outweigh the small cost in time during work hours for the check-ups to be conducted within the workplace (15-20 minutes per staff member).

My first criticism is the fact that the original date for the check-ups was mid December, however, the day before the nurse responsible fell ill and the checks were cancelled until another date could be arranged – of course that also meant that the staff lost out on client appointments at such short notice of cancellation – a disadvantage to my business.

During the past fortnight these health checks were re-instated for today (Monday, February 6) and will (hopefully) go ahead.

Much to my surprise upon reading the “fine” print I have discovered that these free health checks are not so free if a staff member fails to come to work due to sickness or other absence on the day and I – as the employer – will be required to pay a FEE of $64.50 for a cancelled appointment.

Myself as an active CFA volunteer may respond to an incident on the appointed day close to my appointment time and at short notice to an important fire call out but as a consequence end up paying the $64.50 fee for not keeping the appointment.

Yet when the nurse was ill before Christmas I did not receive a fee for their no show for each and all of my staff suffering the inconvenience willingly in our workplace. Free WorkSafe Health Checks are not so free! There’s no free lunches out there. Employers beware. It is a huge joke!

GEORGE FLACK,

Bendigo