According to a report by the Health Foundation, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated, during February to April 2024, that 2.83 million people aged 16–64 in the UK were economically inactive due to long-term sickness. This is a record high since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report goes on to review how the new UK Government needs to take steps to help get people back to work. But there is also a huge amount that employers (even small ones) can do to encourage people back into the workplace.
Long-term sickness absence has always been a concern for businesses but since the pandemic, the figures show that the number of people leaving the workforce due to a health condition is growing. In addition, many people have a health condition which can limit the amount and type of work they can do.
The business impact of long-term absence
These long-term absence levels affect every type and size of business – and the impact is wide-ranging. Productivity and profitability are affected, of course, and other concerns are the need and ability to recruit; managing gaps left by key workers being absent; retaining and engaging staff.
When employees leave work because they do not feel supported or cannot accommodate their health issues, then businesses can lose valuable people and have to recruit and train others. They can also potentially face legal claims of discrimination or unfair dismissal.
Employers need a clear plan to prevent sickness absence and to manage it when it does happen.
Tools for managing sickness absence
There are some useful tools and strategies to help employers (large and small) to manage sickness absence.
A sickness absence policy
It’s not a legal requirement to have a sickness absence policy, but it can be a good idea for any size of business.
A policy can help employees (and managers) to understand how and when sickness should be reported; what payments are made; reasonable adjustments for disability; the potential to access medical reports; the process for handling long term sickness; what will happen when someone returns to work following sickness and a myriad other things.
If you get this right, it can be a useful tool to help you to manage short and long term sickness absences and to get employees back into the workplace as soon as possible.
A return to work process
If someone is off sick, even for only a day or two, it can be really useful to get them to complete a return to work form, or even to have a return to work interview with their manager. There are many reasons why this is a good idea.
- You can assess whether you need to make any adjustments within the workplace to prevent future absences. This is especially the case if someone is off regularly for the same reason. There might be something (or someone) at work which is a trigger for the absence.
- You can assess any patterns to the sickness. Does it always occur on a Monday or a Friday? Does it occur regularly (eg. monthly absence for a woman might indicate menstrual problems which she is anxious about raising). It might happen when a particular meeting or collaboration happens (it could indicate a personality clash or even some bullying)
- Having to fill in a form or speak to a manager might prevent someone from “throwing a sickie” when they are not genuinely ill. If they have to then tell a lie in writing or face to face, it can make them think again next time.
- It might flag up the need for an occupational health report or medical report to investigate a health issue which is recurring.
- It can show an employee that they are valued and you notice and care about them and their contribution.
Keeping in touch with an absent employee
There is a balance to be had between offering support and pressurising someone. It is important to keep in touch with someone when they are off sick, but not in such a way that they feel under pressure. You may need to train your line managers in this to make sure it is done sensitively. Of course, you need to understand when they might be able to return to work, but you also need to offer support to your sick employee and to make them feel valued.
A phased return to work
You might sometimes want to offer a phased return to work, to help someone to adjust back into the workplace, without putting too much pressure on them and throwing them into the deep end from day 1 of their return. Sometimes a Fit Note will advise a phased return, or the employee might ask for one, but it is something that you can offer as an employer if you think it would be a good way to support someone.
Clarity about sick pay
Your contract of employment and your sickness absence policy should be clear about payment when someone is off sick, but your employee may have concerns about this. It is always useful to clarify for someone, who may feel anxious about raising it with you. If someone is off for a long time and their company sick pay runs out, they may need to make financial arrangements or it may add to stress and lengthen the absence period. Alternatively, an employee may return to work before they are really well, just so that they will be paid again. None of this is useful for either the employer or the employee.
Whatever you sick pay rules are, you need to make sure they are clear. There are times when it is tempting to offer more sick pay than the entitlement, but this can be a double-edged sword and can also set a precedent, so you need to tread warily.
I think there is some merit in offering unlimited company sick pay but this needs careful managing and will not work for every employer. If you are interested in pursuing this further, then please contact me.
How can we prevent long term sickness absence?
There is no silver bullet to prevent people being sick and there will always be a level of sickness absence in any company. But there are definitely things which employers can do to help to limit the amount of time people take off sick.
Understanding the reasons for sickness absence
It is useful to monitor and record sickness absence within your company. It can help to identify patterns, or problem areas, or maybe a manager who needs some training. It can even help to identify potential bullying or harassment. Whatever the reason or length of the absence, it can really help you to support the employee if you know the reason for their absence; the treatment they are having; how long they have been off for and are likely to remain off; what reasonable adjustments you might need to put in place to help them to return.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), mental ill-health, musculoskeletal injuries, acute medical conditions, and stress are the most common causes of long-term absence. Stress and anxiety are commonplace today and there is much that employers can do to help to mitigate these things.
Creating a positive work environment
A key to helping reduce stress and burnout is to engage and consult with your workforce about creating an environment where they feel able to raise concerns and issues. Having regular 121s or check-ins (in person, or via video link) with managers is critical for people to be able to raise concerns and health issues. It is important to try and address any issues raised, such as workload or training requirements. They might need flexible working or a change in hours worked.
Listening to your employees
Engaging with your employees is critical for a happy – and healthy – workforce. You may not be able to address all of their issues, but involving them in the discussion, consulting with them about their views and being honest about your approach will go a long way to making them feel valued and to reducing their stress. I wrote a blog earlier this year about Employee Engagement, which you might find useful if you don’t know where to start.
If you have found this useful, you might also like to read an earlier blog about managing short-term sickness .
