‘Sick at the desk’ workforce crisis costs UK economy billions every year
Britain’s workforce health crisis isn’t happening on sick leave; it’s happening at the desk, as employees are working through illness and stress.
Poor workforce health is estimated to cost the UK economy £241bn in lost productivity annually, according to claims in a new report by healthcare insurer Vitality, with mental ill-health being the single largest driver, as high-risk employees are estimated to lose 30 days of productive time per year.
Gen Z that is experiencing unprecedented levels of psychological distress at work, with eight in ten young workers reporting struggles with their mental health, ten times the rate of Baby Boomers.
This crisis is costing businesses roughly £7,000 per employee every year, yet fewer than a third of employers offer mental health support or counselling.
Despite the influx of big businesses offering private healthcare coverage as part of an employee benefit, the report showed that only 20 per cent of UK employees are offered health insurance through work, and only 13 per cent are offered health screening, a lot lower than global averages of 33 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.
One of the biggest problems for people without private coverage is limited access to an NHS doctor’s appointment. Brits routinely struggle to secure GP appoints, pushing health issues down the line and leaving workers at their desks but not functioning at full capacity.
Neville Koopowitz, global CEO of Vitality, said: “It might be an investment, yet it is those employers who are taking the time to understand their employees’ health and associated challenges and then addressing it that are seeing real returns.”
Businesses face rising legal threats over mental health
However, beyond the cost of staff battling mental health issues and the impact on business productivity, employers also face legal risks when failing to support staff.
Speaking to City AM, Ed Bowyer, partner at law firm Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, said: “We have seen a material uptick in the number of instructions arising out of negative mental health issues in the workplace.”
The senior lawyer said employers will need to consider their obligations under the Equality Act not to discriminate against disabled employees, and, in particular, their duty to make reasonable adjustments.
He warned that “line managers need to be well versed in their obligations in this respect and patient in how they implement reasonable adjustments.”
“We often see friction between what the business wants to achieve in the short term and what the business is required to do legally in terms of reasonable adjustments,” he added.