Health & Wellbeing in the Workplace

As World Health Day approaches this Sunday April 7th, this week's Adecco UK Insights delve into the profound repercussions of poor health among the working-age population and explores how these risks can be mitigated.

In the UK, 2.7 million people are currently out of employment due to long-term sickness. This alarming statistic, coupled with an increasingly ageing workforce more susceptible to health challenges, underscores the significance of workplace well-being:

• The UK labour force is in its poorest health ever, with 2.7 million individuals out of work due to long-term sickness – triple the number of open vacancies across the country. This increase in long-term health issues has resulted in a 700,000 decrease in the UK workforce compared to pre-pandemic levels.
• The threat of long-term sickness has not gone unnoticed: one in two employers reported that employees have experienced or are experiencing 'long COVID’, with symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more, as of 2023, according to a PwC survey.
• Employee Assistance Programs, the most common well-being benefit offered, often neglect various factors, including gender disparities. A Trade Union Congress report found that two in five pregnant women hadn't undergone a health and safety risk assessment. Additionally, menopause also constitutes as a focal point in women's well-being at work, with data from CIPD and Bupa indicating that nearly a million women have left the workplace due to symptoms of menopause.
• Mental health is closely intertwined with long-term sickness; something that disproportionately impacts males in the workforce. Men are twice as likely to have mental health problems due to their job, compared to problems outside of work, according to a 2023 Mind survey. The study highlighted that men are less likely than women to open up and seek support from their line manager or employer.
• Neglecting health and well-being has a detrimental impact on an organisation's growth. UK workers are grappling with elevated levels of burnout, mental illness, and work-related stress, collectively amounting to an annual cost of ￡28 billion to the economy, according to a collaborative study by AXA UK and CEBR.

Prioritising employee health remains crucial for creating a resilient workplace. Employers need a comprehensive framework in place to support physical and mental well-being, including access to counselling, employee assistance programs, and occupational health services. Setting up inclusive policies, offering training to line managers and constant monitoring are key to ensuring a healthy workforce.

If you have any queries, or are seeking advice on any of the above subjects, please don't hesitate to contact us now.

Sources:

Office for National Statistics, Labour market statistics time series, Econ. inactivity reasons: Long Term Sick, 12 March 2024

Office for National Statistics, Vacancies and jobs in the UK, 12 March 2024

Trade Union Congress, Women’s health and the workplace, March 2023

PwC, Poor mental health is the main cause of long term sickness for the workforce, according to PwC research, 2 May 2023

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Health and wellbeing at Work, September 2023

Mind, Mind survey finds men more likely to experience work-related mental health problems, Aug 2017

AXA, Surveys and Reports, The true cost of running on empty: work-related stress costing UK economy ￡28bn a year, 29 March 2023