The rising tide of office illness within the UK now prices over £100 billion yearly, largely as a result of misplaced productiveness attributable to “staggering” ranges of presenteeism, a brand new report reveals.
An evaluation by the Institute for Public Coverage Analysis (IPPR) exhibits that the price of workers illness has surged by £30 billion a 12 months, reaching £103 billion in 2023, up from £73 billion in 2018. The majority of this improve, £25 billion, stems from decreased productiveness as workers work whereas unwell, with the remaining £5 billion as a result of extra sick days being taken.
On common, workers now lose 44 days of productiveness per 12 months as a result of working by illness, in comparison with 35 days in 2018. Moreover, they take a mean of 6.7 sick days, up from 3.7 days in 2018, in line with the IPPR report.
UK staff are among the many least prone to take sick days, particularly compared with different OECD and European international locations, usually selecting to work regardless of being unwell. This apply, referred to as presenteeism, considerably diminishes productiveness as affected workers are much less efficient and extra susceptible to errors.
Dr Jamie O’Halloran, senior analysis fellow on the IPPR, highlighted the detrimental influence of presenteeism, stating: “Too often, UK workers are being pressured to work through sickness when that’s not appropriate – harming their wellbeing and reducing productivity. This can be because of a bad workplace culture, poor management, financial insecurity or just weak understanding of long-term conditions among UK employers.”
He added, “Our demonstration of a ‘hidden’ productivity cost of working through sickness should catalyse a change in approach. We should strive to make sure the work we do is good for our health, that we have the time to recover when we need it, and to ensure businesses both contribute to and benefit from population health. This would protect workers, boost profits and deliver growth.”
The report underscores that with sufficient help and appropriate job situations, people with sure well being situations can thrive at work. Nonetheless, when workers are compelled to work whereas unwell, it hinders restoration, will increase the chance of additional sickness, and might unfold infectious illnesses, all of which decrease productiveness.
Tina Woods, founder and chief government of Enterprise for Well being, described the monetary influence on companies as “staggering,” significantly the productiveness losses from presenteeism.
The IPPR additionally discovered that working by sickness is extra widespread amongst marginalised ethnic teams, these in lower-quality jobs, and workers with out formal {qualifications}. Black or Asian workers are twice as prone to work whereas sick in comparison with their white British counterparts.
The research, a part of the IPPR Fee on Well being and Prosperity, urges the federal government to penalise companies that hurt worker well being and to incentivise people who promote workforce wellbeing. Kieron Boyle, chief government of the Influence Investing Institute and an IPPR commissioner, remarked that companies and buyers more and more view well being as an asset. “This report is a blueprint for their role in creating a healthy and prosperous economy for everyone,” he mentioned.
A separate IPPR report beforehand recognized long-term illness as a “serious fiscal threat” to the UK, with 2.6 million individuals at the moment out of the labour market as a result of sickness.
Moreover, latest analysis revealed in Plos One discovered that psychological well being coaching for line managers can save corporations tens of millions by lowering sick days. Organisations that offered such coaching noticed higher customer support, improved worker retention and recruitment, and decreased long-term illness absence. Prof Holly Blake of the College of Nottingham, who led the research, emphasised the strategic enterprise worth of investing in psychological well being coaching for managers.
