- Average sickness absence stands at 7.8 days per employee per year, the highest the CIPD has recorded in over a decade.
- Minor illness drives most short-term absence, but mental ill health and musculoskeletal problems dominate long-term absence.
- Early intervention, well-supported line managers and current, fair policies consistently reduce both the length and the cost of absence.
- Used early rather than as a last resort, occupational health is one of the most effective interventions available to employers.
UK sickness absence has reached its highest level in over a decade. The CIPD's Health and Wellbeing at Work 2023 report, supported by Simplyhealth, put the average at 7.8 days lost per employee per year – two full days more than the 5.8 recorded before the pandemic. For an employer, that is not an abstract figure. It is lost output, stretched teams, overtime cost and, often, a handful of long-running cases that absorb a disproportionate share of management time.
Start with your own data
Sound absence management begins with a clear understanding of your own data. The CIPD found that while 88% of organisations collect sickness absence data, far fewer analyse it closely enough to act on it. Before considering solutions, establish the pattern of absence across your workforce: how much is short-term and intermittent, how much is long-term, which causes recur, and whether particular teams, sites or roles stand out.
The national averages hide wide variation. Public sector absence ran at 10.6 days per employee, against 5.8 days in private sector services, and more than a quarter of organisations reported an average of 10 days or more. Your own figures will tell a more useful story than any benchmark.
Occupational health is at its most effective as an early intervention, not a last resort.
Intervene early, before short becomes long
The single most important principle in absence management is that the longer someone is absent, the harder returning becomes. Working patterns are disrupted, confidence declines, and a manageable problem can develop into anxiety about returning at all. Early, supportive contact – a call to ask how someone is, rather than to chase them – maintains the working relationship and reassures the employee that their return matters. Early contact also helps you identify the cases that would benefit from an occupational health referral before they become entrenched.
Medwyn tip
A phased return works best when it is specific. Rather than "ease back in", agree something concrete: two or three shorter days in the first week, lighter duties for a fortnight, and a review date in the diary. Written down and shared, it gives everyone a clear plan.
Focus on the causes that matter most
Short-term absence is dominated by minor illness (94% of organisations), then musculoskeletal injuries (45%) and mental ill health (39%). The pattern flips for long-term absence, where mental ill health, musculoskeletal problems, acute conditions and stress lead. Because long-term cases cost most, mental health and musculoskeletal support deserve particular attention.
Support your line managers
Line managers hold most of the day-to-day responsibility for absence, yet many are asked to hold sensitive health conversations with little training. A manager who is equipped to ask "how are you, and what would help?" – and who knows when to seek clinical advice – does more to support attendance than any written policy on its own.
Keep your policies current and fair
Sound decisions depend on sound policies. Trigger-based systems such as the Bradford Factor can be useful for prompting a review, but they should inform a manager's judgement rather than drive decisions automatically. Reviewing your absence and capability policies periodically keeps them current and gives managers a defensible basis for their decisions.
Good practice
Where absence relates to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, a pregnancy-related condition, or menopause, record and consider it separately from general attendance. Counting it towards a standard trigger can be unfair and, in some cases, discriminatory – ultimately a matter for an employment tribunal.
Measure what matters
Taken on its own, total absence days reveals little. More informative measures include average duration per case, the time from absence beginning to an occupational health referral, return-to-work success rates, and absence broken down by cause. Monitored together, these show whether your approach is working and where to focus next.
Occupational health sits at the centre of all of this, not as a service to call on once a case has already become difficult, but as the partner that helps prevent it reaching that point. For advice on absence in your organisation, or support with a specific case, talk to our team.
This article is general guidance for employers and is not individual medical or legal advice. If you are unsure how it applies to your organisation, contact our team.