British workers are taking more sick days than at any point in the past 15 years, with staff absent for the equivalent of nearly two working weeks on average over the past 12 months, new research shows.
Figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reveal absence levels have risen sharply since the pandemic, up from just over a week of sick leave per worker on average before 2020.
The trend has been linked to an ageing workforce, a rise in long-term health conditions, and mounting mental health challenges. Mental health issues are now the leading cause of absences lasting four weeks or more, while stress is driving both short- and long-term absence. More than four in ten employers (41 per cent) reported stress-related absences among their staff.
The rise has added to concerns about the UK’s fragile productivity. EY recently calculated that the widening productivity gap between the public and private sectors since 2019 has cost the economy tens of billions of pounds.
Former Marks & Spencer boss Lord Stuart Rose warned the country is “on the edge of a crisis.” Speaking to Times Radio, he argued that Britain risks losing its culture of workplace resilience.
“We have arrived in a situation in Britain today where there is effectively no obligation to go to work. Absolutely none. I’ve worked for 50 years and taken less than three weeks of sickness pay. We need to have a little bit of grit. This nation needs everybody to lean in,” he said.
Rose stressed he was not dismissing genuine health conditions or the importance of mental health, but said the “balance” was wrong.
Hybrid working has been cited as a double-edged factor. The CIPD found more than a third of organisations with remote workers saw a decline in absence levels, compared with 16 per cent reporting an increase. Employers suggested the ability to work from home made it easier for some employees to continue working while managing health conditions.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former John Lewis chairman and now the government’s worklessness tsar, is preparing recommendations to keep long-term sick people in work. He has previously argued for a system of “carrots and sticks” for both employers and employees, insisting it is more effective and cost-efficient to keep people working than to bring them back from benefits.
Rachel Suff, senior wellbeing adviser at the CIPD, said employers need to adopt a proactive approach.
“Long or repeated periods of sickness absence can make it difficult for organisations to plan their work and unplanned absences can also place additional strain on colleagues. Supporting people to manage their health conditions while working is vital,” she said.
Government policy has also influenced trends. In 2022 the Department for Work and Pensions introduced digital fit notes and widened certification powers to include nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists and occupational therapists, not just doctors. Ministers hoped this would make access to sick notes easier and speed up treatment, though critics say it may also have made time off simpler to secure.
The scale of Britain’s health challenge is growing. One in four people now reports having a life-limiting disability, with the number of working-age adults living with a disability rising by two million in just five years to 8.7 million. Mental health problems are increasingly cited as a leading factor.
The CIPD survey of 1,101 employers also found most businesses are trying to adapt. Two-thirds (66 per cent) now offer occupational sick pay to all staff, while almost seven in ten (69 per cent) provide occupational health services.
Former work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, who was replaced in last week’s cabinet reshuffle, told MPs earlier this year that Britain’s work culture must adapt to reflect rising disability and health needs. But for employers already facing a weaker economy, the sharp rise in absence represents both a workforce challenge and a test of resilience for UK productivity.
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UK sick days hit 15-year high as mental health drives long-term absences
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