“Stress and mental ill-health are two of the main reasons for long-term workplace sickness in the UK,” Naomi Humber, head of mental wellbeing at health insurance company Bupa, told HR magazine.
“These conditions may be worsened if workloads aren’t effectively managed, if management fails to recognise employee needs early on, or there are inadequate support measures in place.”
Employers have a responsibility to offer employees access to resources that help promote long-term health, according to Pamela Gellatly, strategic development director at occupational healthcare provider HCML.
Read more: How HR can take a preventative approach to mental health and wellbeing
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: ”It is important that employers provide employees with the time to participate in assessments or education programmes. They can reward employees with some form of recognition or benefit for engaging.
“This could be additional holidays, recognition points that can be refunded or other incentive that links with the employers values. Importantly an employer should have benefits in place to support employees improve their health and wellbeing but also to support them when they are ill.”
Creating a supportive workplace culture can also help employees with their long-term health, Humber noted.
“Creating a workplace culture that champions a healthy work-life balance may be easier said than done, but it starts with employer proactivity.
“Creating policies, procedures, frameworks and internal team support structures not only helps to develop fair boundaries and psychological safety, this also naturally feeds into support for staff in times of vulnerability.
“It’s essential that these policies and procedures are communicated effectively to your workforce, with the help of engaged, supportive and open line managers.”
Musculoskeletal (MSK) health also contributes significantly to long-term sickness in the UK, added Jason Ward, co-founder and CEO of healthcare technology provider EQL.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “National data tells us that poor mental health and MSK injury are the two most common causes of long-term sickness in the UK workforce.”
In 2023, nearly a fifth (18.4%) of the UK population over the age of 16 self-reported an MSK health condition, according to January 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
“These are conditions which can be caused and/or exacerbated in the workplace when the known risk factors (including excess stress, poor ergonomics, and long periods of sedentary work) are not effectively controlled,” Ward continued.
Kylie Bennett, vice president of mental health clinical services at healthcare provider Dialogue, told HR magazine that employers should encourage employees to make long-term changes to their health and wellbeing.
“One step employers can take is offering a wellbeing programme which promotes stress reduction and provides clinically backed resources to support long-term behaviour change, as opposed to quick fixes,” she said.
“Resources which also make the connection between mental and physical health, and encourage activities which lead to increased physical health, such as step challenges or just generally moving more, could also have big benefits.”
Read more: The silent privilege of wellbeing amid the cost of living crisis
Resources employers implement should both encourage employees to take control of their own wellbeing, while subsiding costs, added Ward.
A study by employee benefits provider BHN Extras, published on 25 July, highlighted how employers could encourage employees to exercise by subsidising costs. The survey of 2,000 UK employees showed that 49% of people were unable to afford to buy a bike outright, but 67% said they would be more likely to start cycling if their employer provided support.
A separate study, published in the BMJ Public Health journal on 16 July, found that cycling to work halved the risk of mental or physical ill health conditions.
"A structured programme that supports employees to collectively set health goals, provides practical support and rewards progress towards achieving those goals," Ward continued.
"Alternatively, identify blockers that are preventing employees from achieving their health goals, and offer personalised benefits that will help target these blockers; for example, access to free physiotherapy support, discounted gym memberships, counselling sessions or cooking lessons."
Long-term sickness is the main contributor to economic inactivity in the UK, according to April 2024 ONS data. Over a fifth (22.2%) of the working age population, aged 16 to 64, were economically inactive in February; long-term sickness accounted for 7% of that proportion. This costs the UK £43bn each year.
