Sick Days Up 41%: Addressing Absenteeism in the Workplace

A recent report from Totaljobs has highlighted a concerning trend for UK businesses: sick days have increased by 41% over the past three years. This rise in absenteeism reflects more than just individual health concerns—it signals wider issues related to workplace culture, employee satisfaction, and overall well-being.

The report found that 59% of HR leaders attribute the increase in sick days to a decline in workplace culture, while 55% of employers have observed a drop in employee performance. This creates a damaging cycle, where absenteeism places extra strain on remaining staff, leading to heightened stress, burnout, and reduced productivity.

Stress and Mental Health: Key Drivers of Absenteeism

Mental health, particularly stress and burnout, plays a significant role in the growing number of employee absences. In the past year alone, stress-related conditions accounted for 25% of employee turnover. Additionally, 19% of employees left their jobs due to ongoing health issues.

This trend extends beyond short-term absences. Currently, around 2.8 million people in the UK are out of work due to long-term illness, with experts predicting this number could rise by 53% in the next five years. These statistics underline the urgent need for businesses to take a proactive approach to managing both short-term and long-term employee well-being.

Addressing the Root Causes of Absenteeism

For HR teams, understanding and addressing the root causes of employee stress is essential. Whether it’s the lack of flexible working options, inadequate mental health support, or dissatisfaction with pay and autonomy, identifying these issues is crucial to improving employee well-being.

Building a supportive environment where employees feel valued and empowered can make a real difference. By implementing the right processes and support mechanisms, HR teams can help employees better manage their workload and stress levels, ultimately reducing the number of sick days taken.

A Strategic Approach to Managing Absenteeism

While it may not be possible to eliminate sick leave entirely, organisations can adopt a more strategic approach to managing absenteeism. Effective workload management is a key part of this strategy. When employees are absent, it often places additional pressure on their colleagues, which can lower morale and productivity. By carefully balancing workloads and offering the necessary support, businesses can lessen the impact of absenteeism.

The Totaljobs report also revealed that nearly half of the UK workforce—around 10 million workers—lacks access to basic health support services, such as flu vaccinations and routine health checks. Employers who combine effective workload management with comprehensive well-being programmes can help reduce absenteeism and boost overall productivity.

The Role of Leadership in Tackling Absenteeism

Strong leadership is critical in addressing absenteeism. Clear communication and direction from leadership teams are essential in breaking the cycle of sick leave and declining productivity. However, 50% of HR leaders believe that a lack of leadership and communication is hindering their ability to manage absenteeism effectively.

In today’s evolving work environment, organisations need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and changing employee expectations mean that businesses must develop flexible, tailored policies to meet the specific needs of their workforce.

Tracking Absenteeism: A Missed Opportunity

Despite the rise in sick leave, many businesses are not fully tracking its impact. While 82% of employers now record sickness absence, a significant 27% are not monitoring how absenteeism affects their operations. This represents a missed opportunity to gather insights that could help improve employee well-being and performance.

Hybrid working has added further complexity to the issue, making it more challenging for managers to track absences when employees work remotely. Without accurate data, businesses struggle to implement effective strategies to reduce absenteeism and improve productivity.

How Activ People HR Can Support Absence Management

At Activ People HR, we understand the complexities of managing employee absences. Our software solution enables businesses to track sick days, monitor patterns, manage return-to-work processes, and gain valuable insights into workforce well-being.

“Managing absenteeism isn’t just about recording sick days; it’s about understanding the wider picture,” says Adrian Lewis, Commercial Director at Activ People HR. “Our software helps HR teams identify trends in absences, such as spikes within specific departments or at particular times, allowing for targeted interventions to reduce future absenteeism.”

The Activ People HR platform provides HR teams with the tools to automate return-to-work processes, generate detailed absence reports, and analyse real-time data. With these insights, businesses can identify underlying issues—such as stress, workload concerns, or lack of health support—and take proactive steps to address them.

The rise in absenteeism poses significant challenges for organisations, but with the right tools and strategies, HR teams can regain control. Activ People HR’s absence management software equips businesses with the ability to track, analyse, and reduce sick days, while also supporting employee well-being.

By adopting a strategic, data-driven approach, companies can manage absenteeism more effectively, creating a healthier, more productive workplace in the process.