James Arquette, a director at FirstCare, said: "Fit notes are doing the opposite of what they were designed for, and are causing employees to be off work for longer without reducing the likelihood of repeated absence."
He said it was "perverse" that workers who obtained a fit note were away from work for twice as long as those who did not, suggesting doctors were signing off people for far longer than necessary.
"GPs are in a difficult position, as they are expected to decide what an employee can or can't do without knowing anything about their job, workplace and support services available," he said.
Mr Arquette said doctors lacked guidance over how to manage long-term health issues, such as phased returns to work, and "erred on the side of caution" when approving sickness absence so they could not be blamed if something went wrong.
Under employment rules, workers are supposed to obtain a doctor's note if they are absent from work on medical grounds for more than seven calendar days.
But in practice, thousands of workers don't follow through with this requirement, with many small businesses unaware employees should have a note, FirstCare said.
Early next year, the Government is to set out its response to the independent review of sickness absence, led by the former British Chambers of Commerce director general, David Frost. David Cameron commissioned the review last February to consider how to bring down the benefits bill.
A key recommendation was that an independent panel should sign off workers on long-term sick leave, which could trump whatever their family doctor says and see patients return to work sooner.
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