UK workers have been absent a median of seven.8 days over the previous yr in accordance with new survey findings from the CIPD and Simplyhealth. That is the very best degree the commerce physique has reported in over a decade and two entire days greater than the pre-pandemic fee of 5.8 days. The report claims the upsurge in office absenteeism comes at a time when employers are beneath growing stress with recruitment and retention challenges. Consequently, the CIPD and Simplyhealth are calling on organisations to have an open and supportive tradition the place folks can communicate to line managers about well being points and entry useful help and changes similar to versatile working choices and well being providers.

The survey analysed traits in illness absence and worker well being and wellbeing amongst 918 organisations, representing 6.5 million workers. In addition to an general improve in office absenteeism, it discovered stress to be a major issue for each short- and long-term absence, with over 76 p.c of respondents reporting stress-related absence of their organisation previously yr.

The highest causes of short-term absence are:

• Minor diseases (94 p.c)
• Musculoskeletal accidents (45 p.c)
• Psychological unwell well being (39 p.c)

Causes of long-term absence are related:

• Psychological unwell well being (63 p.c)
• Acute medical circumstances, similar to stroke or most cancers (51 p.c)
• Musculoskeletal accidents (51 p.c)

The findings additionally present that over a 3rd (37 p.c) of organisations reported COVID-19 as nonetheless being a major reason for short-term absence.

Nonetheless, organisations try to handle well being and wellbeing points general, by a spread of help. Actually, 69 p.c of organisations supply occupational sick pay go away schemes for all workers and 82 p.c present an worker help programme (EAP).   Total, 53 p.c of organisations surveyed have a stand-alone wellbeing technique, which is a slight improve from our earlier survey in 2021 (50 p.c).

Rachel Suff, Senior Worker Wellbeing adviser on the CIPD stated: “Regardless of our analysis displaying that almost all organisations are specializing in worker wellbeing, the appreciable rise in absences throughout all sectors is a fear. Exterior components just like the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living disaster have had profound impacts on many individuals’s wellbeing.  

“It’s good to see that barely extra organisations are approaching well being and wellbeing by a stand-alone technique. Nonetheless, we’d like a extra systematic and preventative strategy to office well being. This implies managing the primary dangers to folks’s well being from work to forestall stress in addition to early intervention to forestall well being points from escalating the place doable. It’s vital that organisations create an open, supportive tradition the place workers really feel they will come ahead.”