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sickness absence

From crisis to prevention: the urgent role of employers in upstreaming health

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

Prevention is better than cure: the role of employers in improving worker health

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

We need to reimagine the role of business in health to deliver a healthy future of work for all

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

HSE chair calls for ‘fundamental shift’ towards preventing work-related ill health

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

Employers should be made to provide health and wellbeing support to workers, report says

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

IPPR calls for ‘health-led economy’ as worker sickness causes huge rise in costs to businesses

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

18 million work days lost each year to poor mental health

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