A new report from CIPD supported by Simply Health has shown that sickness levels across the UK are at their highest levels in a decade with an average of 7.8 days per employee lost to sickness absence which is up from 5.8 in 2019.
The world is a very different place compared to 2019 with the COVID-19 pandemic still casting a shadow and the cost of living crisis having a profound impact on many people's lives and their wellbeing.
The report highlights that over three quarters of organisations that contributed to the report dealt with stress-related absence with heavy workloads being the most common cause of stress-related absence.
Managing sickness absence has always posed challenges for third sector employers and supporting employees while off sick while managing the impact on colleagues and the wider business can be difficult. Managers may lack confidence in knowing how to tackle stress-related issues or discussing an employee’s mental health and some employers may be reluctant to take steps to manage sickness absence out of fear of claims of unfair dismissal or disability discrimination.
The increase in absence highlighted in this report and the impact that can have on an employer’s business raise questions of what employers can do to support the health and wellbeing of their employees and how sickness absence can be managed effectively to mitigate the impact on the business.
The report explores some of the measures employers have taken to address stress and mental health issues at work such as manager training; employee access to counselling; involving occupational health specialists; and supporting employees in achieving a work-life balance through the promotion of flexible working and other options.
Comment
Ben Doherty, Partner and Head of our Employment Law team comments:
“Managing absence continues to be one of the most common topics on which we advise our charity employer clients and this report highlights the increase in sickness absence affecting employers across all sectors.
“There are various tools available to employers when it comes to supporting the wellbeing of employees to try to prevent and minimise absence in the workplace as well as steps that can be taken to manage both short and long term absence in an effective and legally compliant manner.
“Ensuring managers are well trained in how to deal with sensitive issues regarding employees’ health and seeking employment law advice on how to manage such issues are important considerations for employers faced with high levels of sickness absence.”