Jessica O'ConnorWorkers in England are taking more sick days than at any point in the past decade, with an average of 9.4 days per employee each year, according to analysis by Protecting.co.uk.
The health and safety specialists estimate workplace injury and illness could be linked to £861.6m annually in Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) costs alone. Illness-related absence accounts for the vast majority – nearly £764m – compared with £98.1m attributed to injury-related absence.
The findings suggest day-to-day illness, including stress-related conditions, has a greater financial impact on employers than workplace accidents.
Women were found to bear a higher burden of work-related illness. They lost 16.6 million working days to illness, around 500,000 more than men, and accounted for significantly more stress-related cases – 536,000 compared with 350,000 among men.
Overall, women reported higher rates of work-related ill health, particularly stress, depression and anxiety.
By contrast, men lost more time to workplace injuries, with 2.8 million days lost compared with 1.4 million among women, and were far more likely to die at work.
Mark Hall, managing director at Protecting.co.uk, said: “When workplace accidents make the news, it’s usually because of serious accidents.
“While those are obviously critical, when you look at the numbers, the bigger financial impact comes from day-to-day sickness absence.
“As the analysis shows, illness-related sickness could contribute to substantial sickness pay costs. Stress-related conditions, in particular, are leading to sustained time away from work, and that cost builds up quietly over time.
“For employers, reducing accidents will always be an essential focus. But if the goal is to lower absence and manage costs, more attention also needs to be paid to workload pressures and various other factors that are contributing to longer-term illness.”
