UK sickness absence has surged to its highest level in 15 years, according to new research from the CIPD and Simply Health – a stark warning that cutting back on wellbeing budgets, especially preventative support, could prove a false economy for employers.
This is a theme that will be covered extensively at both the MAD World Leaders Summit on 9th October in London (to see the full agenda and register, click here) and our forthcoming Make A Difference Leaders Podcast (full details coming soon!)
The figures, part of the CIPD’s annual Health and Wellbeing at Work report, show that UK employees are now taking an average of 9.4 sick days per year – nearly two full working weeks.
Causes of absence
When asked about the top three causes of long-term absence (four weeks or more) in their organisation, the most common responses from employers were:
- Mental ill health, such as depression or anxiety (41%)
- Musculoskeletal injuries, such as back pain (31%)
- Other long-term health conditions, such as cancer (30%)
The top causes of short-term absence (up to four weeks) were:
- Minor illnesses, such as colds/flu (78%)
- Mental ill health, such as depression or anxiety (29%)
- Stress, and caring responsibilities for children (both 26%)
Cutting spend false economy for business success
This report comes at a time when many employers are grappling with soaring costs, from NIC hikes to energy increases, but shows that scaling back on Employee Health and Wellbeing, or purely focusing on reactive care, is likely to be a false economy.
Its publication also coincided with a CBI roundtable, as part of the Government’s Keep Britain Working review, involving senior officials from DHSC, DWP and HM Treasury. With recommendations due this autumn, policymakers are increasingly recognising the link between workplace health and national productivity.
Shift from managing absence to preventing it
The CIPD warns that unless organisations shift their focus from managing absence to preventing it, the trend will continue to threaten productivity, employee wellbeing and, ultimately, business success.
Rachel Suff, senior wellbeing adviser at the CIPD, said:
“It’s really important for individuals, organisations and society that employers take a proactive approach to support people managing health conditions while working. The longer someone is off, the more they might struggle to return. Long or repeated periods of sickness absence can make it difficult for organisations to plan their work, and unplanned absences can also place additional strain on colleagues.”
Employers not investing enough in prevention
The report highlights a striking imbalance: while most employers offer reactive measures like counselling or employee assistance programmes, far fewer invest in preventative strategies that stop problems from escalating in the first place.
Despite most organisations taking steps to improve employee health and wellbeing, the report also shows that these actions are still largely reactive. For example, the most common measures taken to support mental health include access to counselling (43%), phased return to work or other reasonable adjustments (43%) and providing access to employee assistance programmes (41%).
However, the report clearly shows the power of preventative measures that are embedded across an organisation. For example, training managers to support staff with mental health is shown to make a tangible difference: 63% of employers say managers feel confident to spot the signs of mental ill health and 73% say they feel confident to have sensitive conversations and signpost to support (compared with 45% and 57%, respectively, where employers don’t train managers).
But only 29% of employers surveyed were found to provide this type of preventative support.
Changes like flexible working can make a big difference
Suff commented on this point saying:
“As people are working and living longer, employers need to create workplaces that are supportive and help staff manage their health. Changes, like flexible hours and adjustments to workload, can often make a big difference to help prevent ill health from worsening and absence.”
The findings come from a survey of 1,101 HR professionals or management-level employees with HR decision-making responsibilities, who also have direct involvement in or knowledge of health and wellbeing in their role within their organisation. It was conducted online by YouGov from March to April 2025. The data is weighted by sector and business size to be representative of employers in the UK, with a 5% trimmed mean to calculate the average absence.
This crucial, topical issue takes centre stage at the forthcoming MAD World Leaders Summit on 9th October in London in our dedicated ‘Prevention and Intervention’ Track. This includes a keynote session with leading thinkers in the industry on preventative care such as Dame Carol Black GBE, Chief Medical Officer at Jaguar Land Rover Dr Richard Peters, CFO at Ogilvy Karla Smith, Chief People Officer at Royal Mail Paula Stannett and NHS strategist Dr Lia Ali – Lia is also one of the launch interviewees for our Make A Difference Leaders Podcast where she talks about why preventative strategies are so important and how to implement them well, watch this space!
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