Majority of UK businesses express concern over rising sick leave, new report warns – HR News

Summary

New research from MetLife UK, produced with Small Business and Consumer Champion Liz Barclay, reveals widespread concern among UK business leaders about rising employee sickness absence. The whitepaper, Early Intervention: reduce absence, increase productivity, keep Britain working, finds 88% of respondents worry about long-term sickness (over 4 weeks) and 86% about short-term sickness (under 4 weeks).

The report estimates the average cost to employers at £20,735 per employee per year for long-term absence and £13,800 for short-term absence, factoring in cover, additional workloads and support services. It highlights poor awareness of true costs — 15% of businesses do not estimate their sickness-related spend — and recommends early intervention and preventative workplace support as cost-effective responses.

Key Points

88% of UK businesses are concerned about long-term employee sickness; 86% are concerned about short-term sickness.
Estimated employer cost: £20,735 per employee per year for long-term absence; £13,800 for short-term absence.
15% of businesses do not calculate how much they spend on sickness absence, risking underestimating the problem.
Government data shows working-age economic inactivity for health reasons has risen 40% since 2019 and costs around £150bn per year nationally.
The whitepaper advocates early intervention and preventative workplace tools (such as GIP) to reduce time off, support staff wellbeing and limit business disruption.

Context and relevance

With long-term sickness on the rise and major cost implications for employers, the report lands at a critical moment for HR teams and business leaders grappling with retention, productivity and rising operational costs. The findings tie into wider government concern about health-related economic inactivity and point to workplace-led interventions as part of the solution.

Why should I read this?

Want the short version? Businesses are losing real money and people; this paper shows how not acting early costs more. If you manage people, budgets or HR policy, it’s worth two minutes to see why early intervention and clearer costing could save your organisation hassle and cash.

Author style

Punchy: This is a wake-up call. The figures are stark and the prescription — act early, support staff, measure costs — is practical. If you care about workforce stability or the bottom line, read the detail.