[UK] More than 30 million days lost to work-related ill health in a year

Official Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data has revealed that 30.8 million working days were lost in 2021-22 as a result of work-related ill health, People Management reports.

There were more than 1.8 million work-related ill health cases – new or long-standing – in 2021-22, according to the HSE’s findings. The primary causes of ill health were work-related stress, depression or anxiety (914,000), musculoskeletal disorders (477,000) and exposure to COVID at work (123,000). 

In addition, the latest annual statistics from the HSE found that new cases of ill health in the workforce cost £11.2bn in 2019-20, a figure significant enough to have a detrimental impact on the economy. 

David Pye - director at independent consultancy Broadstone - told People Management that the rates of work-related ill-health had gone “through the roof” following the pandemic and warned that the problem is likely to get worse. 

“The financial worries people are now experiencing will only be adding to the levels of depression and anxiety,” Mr Pye said. He added that ill health in the workplace was likely to become increasingly problematic over the mid-term and would “leave employers grappling with increasing long-term absences, distracted by having to find and recruit experienced staff and plummeting levels of wellbeing”. 

A survey from the retail trade union Usdaw, meanwhile, found that more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of low-paid workers cannot afford to live off statutory sick pay (SSP). 

The survey of 7,500 members (primarily low-paid key workers in retail) reportedly revealed that the figure rose to 90 per cent for those on in-work benefits, with the combination of the cost of living crisis and low statutory sick pay (SSP) - the current rate is £99.35 per week - affecting their ability to call in sick. 

Usdaw is calling on the UK government to reform SSP and deliver a new deal that ensures it reflects average pay.

Paddy Lillis - general secretary at Usdaw - reportedly said low-paid workers were being “forced” to live on low SSP, and that those on low wages, earning under £123 per week, had no entitlement to it. “The government must remove this discriminatory policy, so all workers are entitled to sick pay based on their normal rate of pay,” he said. 

Sarah Loates - director at Loates Business Solutions - warned that attending work when ill as a result of financial pressures was bad for both the employee and the business. “Often this means the employee takes far longer to recover, which in turn can impact the business because of additional overtime or agency staff costs,” she said. “An occupational sick pay scheme could differentiate the employer and support attraction in a tight labour market. In addition, if eligibility is linked to length of service this is a good way to reward longer-serving employees.” 

Ms Loates said that a lack of access to GPs and long waiting lists were creating a “perfect storm of discomfort” for employees and advised that employers should consider “insurance schemes that provide private medical cover, or healthcare cash plans that enable employees to claim back the costs of routine healthcare for a monthly premium”. 

Source: People Management

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

Official Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data has revealed that 30.8 million working days were lost in 2021-22 as a result of work-related ill health, People Management reports.

There were more than 1.8 million work-related ill health cases – new or long-standing – in 2021-22, according to the HSE’s findings. The primary causes of ill health were work-related stress, depression or anxiety (914,000), musculoskeletal disorders (477,000) and exposure to COVID at work (123,000). 

In addition, the latest annual statistics from the HSE found that new cases of ill health in the workforce cost £11.2bn in 2019-20, a figure significant enough to have a detrimental impact on the economy. 

David Pye - director at independent consultancy Broadstone - told People Management that the rates of work-related ill-health had gone “through the roof” following the pandemic and warned that the problem is likely to get worse. 

“The financial worries people are now experiencing will only be adding to the levels of depression and anxiety,” Mr Pye said. He added that ill health in the workplace was likely to become increasingly problematic over the mid-term and would “leave employers grappling with increasing long-term absences, distracted by having to find and recruit experienced staff and plummeting levels of wellbeing”. 

A survey from the retail trade union Usdaw, meanwhile, found that more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of low-paid workers cannot afford to live off statutory sick pay (SSP). 

The survey of 7,500 members (primarily low-paid key workers in retail) reportedly revealed that the figure rose to 90 per cent for those on in-work benefits, with the combination of the cost of living crisis and low statutory sick pay (SSP) - the current rate is £99.35 per week - affecting their ability to call in sick. 

Usdaw is calling on the UK government to reform SSP and deliver a new deal that ensures it reflects average pay.

Paddy Lillis - general secretary at Usdaw - reportedly said low-paid workers were being “forced” to live on low SSP, and that those on low wages, earning under £123 per week, had no entitlement to it. “The government must remove this discriminatory policy, so all workers are entitled to sick pay based on their normal rate of pay,” he said. 

Sarah Loates - director at Loates Business Solutions - warned that attending work when ill as a result of financial pressures was bad for both the employee and the business. “Often this means the employee takes far longer to recover, which in turn can impact the business because of additional overtime or agency staff costs,” she said. “An occupational sick pay scheme could differentiate the employer and support attraction in a tight labour market. In addition, if eligibility is linked to length of service this is a good way to reward longer-serving employees.” 

Ms Loates said that a lack of access to GPs and long waiting lists were creating a “perfect storm of discomfort” for employees and advised that employers should consider “insurance schemes that provide private medical cover, or healthcare cash plans that enable employees to claim back the costs of routine healthcare for a monthly premium”. 

Source: People Management

(Link and quotes via original reporting)