Sickness Absence is Currently at its Highest Level for 15 Years

Current sickness figures show that employees take an average of 2 weeks (9.4 days) off, each year. A survey undertaken by CIPD and Simplyhealth showed the increase in figures, which has risen from an average of 5.8 days before the pandemic, to 7.8 days in 2023.

The rise in long-term ill health conditions accounts   for one of the biggest factors, with 8.7 million people currently estimated to be living with a work-limiting condition.

Other long-term causes include mental ill health, depression and anxiety (41%), musculoskeletal injuries (31%) and serios conditions (including cancer) (30%)

Short term absences were stated as 78% for minor ailments (colds/flu), mental health issues (29%), stress (26%) and caring responsibilities (26%).

A further survey by Kickresume found that 22% of respondents had taken a sick day because they “needed a break”, and 10% admitted to using sick leave to catch up on personal errands.

How can you balance work alongside ill health?

Depending on the nature of your health condition, some steps you may wish to consider include –

• Part time or reduced hours
• Flexible working
• Flexible start or finish times
• Working from home
• Minimising commute times
• Flexibility around appointments
• Prioritising diet, health, sleep, and wellbeing
• Open relationships and communication with managers and colleagues
• Being aware of your rights to request flexible working, sick leave, emergency leave etc

Upcoming Changes

Proposed changes will come into place next April, which will see significant changes to sick pay in the UK –

• The 3 unpaid waiting days will be removed, meaning Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be payable from Day 1 of absence
• Staff who do not qualify for SSP currently do not receive pay whilst they are off sick.  Under the new rules, they will receive 80% of their pay as an alternative to SSP

Further Help

It is always advisable to seek medical help and advice to understand how you can manage your health conditions alongside work. This may be from your own GP, Occupational Health services, or specialists.