Sick leave from work 'at highest level for a decade', with stress behind much of the increase

26 September 2023, 05:23

The average amount of time workers spend off sick from work is at the highest level in ten years.

Staff took an average of 7.8 days off sick from their jobs last year, up from 5.8 in the year before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey.

Minor illnesses were the most common cause of short term absence, with musculoskeletal problems and mental ill health also big factors.

Some 76% of respondents to the survey said they had taken time off because of stress.

More than a third (37%) of organisations said Covid-19 was still a significant cause of short-term absence.

The study was carried out by the Chartered Institute for Professional Development (CIPD) and Simplyhealth, a provider of health cash plans. They analysed sickness absence among 918 organisations, with 6.5 million employees.

The two organisations are calling on businesses to be more supportive about employees' health

Rachel Suff, senior employee wellbeing adviser at the CIPD, said: "External factors like the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have had profound impacts on many people's wellbeing.

"It's good to see that slightly more organisations are approaching health and wellbeing through a stand-alone strategy.

"However, we need a more systematic and preventative approach to workplace health.

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"This means managing the main risks to people's health from work to prevent stress as well as early intervention to prevent health issues from escalating where possible."

Claudia Nicholls, chief customer officer at Simplyhealth said: "With record numbers of people off sick, employers have a vital role to play in supporting them through workplace health and wellbeing services.

"They can have a positive impact on the economy and ease pressure on the NHS.

"Despite an increasing number of workplace health and wellbeing services being put in place, employees are experiencing increasing mental health issues and the highest rate of sickness absence in a decade.

"However, focusing on fixing sickness alone is unlikely to uncover areas where any significant improvements can be made; companies need to implement preventative health and wellbeing strategies that are supported by the most senior levels of leadership and build line manager skills and confidence to support wellbeing."