Almost a third (32 per cent) of bosses report stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health problems as a reason staff give for sickness absence.
By Belinda Liversedge on 30 March 2026
Trends in wellbeing and long-term ill health are “worsening with the size of the problem growing, not shrinking,” the UK’s manufacturing association Make UK has warned.
By Belinda Liversedge on 26 February 2026
More concerted action is needed to tackle the main causes of stress at work, particularly high workloads, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has said, after its latest report showed sickness absence in the UK has soared to record highs.
By Belinda Liversedge on 11 September 2025
Poor public health and long-term sickness absence are placing extreme financial pressure on the UK’s health and social care system and the overall economy. However, by investing in workplace health prevention programmes and education initiatives, employers can help reduce the scale of ill health among the population and minimise the associated costs for society and business alike.
By Dr Julie Riggs, British Safety Council on 16 June 2025
With a record 2.8 million people in the UK out of work due to long-term sickness, a spotlight is shining on the health of the nation and how to improve it. What more could, or should, employers be doing to keep workers healthy and prevent them from leaving the workforce?
By Kerry Reals on 11 March 2025
The UK is sick, and it’s getting sicker. We lag behind our international peers on critical health indicators like healthy life expectancy, avoidable mortality and obesity rates.
By Dr Jamie O'Halloran, IPPR on 31 January 2025
Traditional safety risks have been prioritised over workers’ health for too long and there needs to be a “fundamental shift” towards preventing employees from becoming ill through their work, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) chair Sarah Newton.
By Kerry Reals on 23 January 2025
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is calling for a universal right to a healthy workplace and the introduction of a minimum level of support that employers should provide to improve employees’ health and wellbeing, after finding that almost half of UK workers lack access to routine health checks at work.
By Kerry Reals on 21 October 2024
Presenteeism has driven a £30 billion rise in the cost to UK businesses of employee sickness since 2018, analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank has shown.
By Kerry Reals on 01 August 2024
An average of 33 million days in the UK are lost each year due to minor illnesses, like coughs and colds, with 18 million days lost to mental health conditions.
By Belinda Liversedge on 16 January 2024
