Healthy workforce, healthy business.

Sickness absence is one of the toughest challenges facing employers today. Occasional illness is inevitable, but many organisations are now experiencing a rise in frequent and sometimes chronic absences, often at significant cost.

A big part of the challenge lies in separating authentic medical conditions from a cultural shift that increasingly sees ordinary human experiences, such as sadness or mild anxiety, as a reason to stay away from work. Add to this an overstretched NHS, where GPs may sign employees off without understanding the role or the workplace adjustments available, and absence quickly becomes prolonged. In most cases, returning to work, particularly with support, will be wonderfully rehabilitative.  And it will prevent the absent employee from entering into a spiral of habitual absence and eventual unemployability.

Employment law changes add to the pressure for employers. With the proposed removal of SSP “waiting days,” (from April next year) they will have to bear sickness costs from day one. While positive for employees, this will inevitably make businesses (of all shapes and sizes) more cautious about recruitment, particularly in a market where trading conditions are difficult.

So how should employers respond? Compassion matters, but so does business sustainability. It means fostering a culture of wellbeing, offering benefits that truly support health, and having the courage to face difficult conversations when an employee’s ill health (or tendency to pull ‘sickies’) is incompatible with their current role (or their continued employment).

We understand this, and our award winning Employee Benefits team is skilled in helping businesses to source benefits that genuinely support a ‘positive health’ culture, with a focus on 'prevent' rather than simply 'cure'. To complement this, our HR Managed Services team provides a sickness and unexpected absence line, enabling our clients’ employees to report their absence directly to us.  We triage the reason, offer guidance, protect confidentiality, and monitor patterns of absence. Managers get accurate, consistent information - freeing them to focus on their day jobs, rather than trying to navigate difficult conversations on the spot.

Sickness absence won’t disappear, but with the right approach, it can be managed fairly, consistently, and sustainably.  We’d love to hear how you deal with ‘health matters’ in your workplace – and would be delighted to help if you’re looking for a fresh approach. Contact the hrteam@theinkgroup.co.uk for more information.