Today is the first productive day of the year for UK employees, according to new research which claims 38 working days were lost, on average, by each employee last year due to physical and mental health related absence and presenteeism. The study puts the cost to businesses and the economy of these lost days (which in reality are of course spread out across the whole year) at £91.9bn in 2019, an increase of more than £10bn on 2018. More →

More than 40 percent of workers have a hidden health issue they’ve never disclosed to their employers, with younger employees the most likely to withhold information from their bosses, according to new research. A survey of 1,000 employees, carried out by healthcare provider Benenden Health, revealed 63 percent of respondents aged 23 or under and 60 percent of 24-38-year-olds surveyed haven’t told their employers about a health issue. This is compared to 35 percent of respondents aged 39-54 and 18 percent of those aged 55 or over. More →

Over the last 12 months, seven in 10 UK business leaders witnessed presenteeism, where someone come into the office when they are unwell, a survey has claimed. The issue is particularly prevalent at certain times of the year, recruitment firm Robert Half suggested, with 71 percent of respondents considering that presenteeism increases during the winter months when colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses are more common.
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GPs issued nearly three-quarters of a million fit notes last year stating that an individual was not fit to work due to a stress-related disorder, new research has claimed. This is a rise of 8 percent compared to 2017/18 (741,210 notes issued, up from 686,670), employment law firm GQ Littler said. The total number of fit notes issued increased by 4 percent over the same period to 9.7 million, up from 9.3 million. More →

Some 47 percent of employees who care for both children and elderly relatives (sandwich carers) are keeping these responsibilities hidden from their employer, a survey from BHSF, a not-for-profit health and wellbeing provider, has suggested. With so many choosing to stay quiet about their outside commitments, the researchers warn that employers are left floundering in the dark when it comes to providing the most appropriate employee benefits to support their workforce. More →

Three-quarters of UK employees who have experienced a mental health condition believe stigma around the issue has reduced over the past year but the vast majority would still not discuss their condition with their line managers, according to new research. Aviva’s “Health of the Workplace” report, released for Time to Talk Day, suggests that just 9 percent of employees who have had a mental health condition sought help from their line manager, 12 percent would discuss their condition with a work colleague and only 4 percent would talk to HR. More →

It’s not unreasonable for an employee diagnosed with cancer to look to their employer for assistance, but according to one support organisation, many employers handle the situation incredibly tactlessly. To coincide with World Cancer Awareness Day today, RedArc, which provides nurses for employees with serious or long-term health conditions, has issued a list of the worst things people with cancer reported hearing from their managers. Over the past year, its nurses logged statements such as, “Perhaps you should retire”, “You’ve had your treatment now, so you should be fine” and “How long will you be off?” More →

Time spent in the great outdoors is worth abour£4.5 trillion a year in the improved mental health of people, according to results published by a team of researchers from Griffith University’s School of Environment and Science, Centre for Work Organisation and Wellbeing, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith Business School and School of Medicine.   More →

Getting on well with colleagues gives workers greater job satisfaction than having a good salary, new research has claimed. “New Decade, New Direction” by the Institute of Leadership & Management asked more than 2,100 workers to identify the factors that affect their job satisfaction and explored their career plans for the new decade. More →

A new report from Deloitte claims that poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45 billion each year. This is a rise of 16 percent since 2016 – an extra £6 billion a year. The research also looks at how employers can tackle this problem, finding that it pays to support employees’ mental wellbeing. On average, for every £1 spent on supporting their people’s mental health, employers get £5 back on their investment in reduced presenteeism, absenteeism and staff turnover. More →