A recent study by the EEF reveals a rise in sickness absence, highlighting employers’ struggles with mental health issues at work.
- Despite CIPD data showing a general reduction in sickness absence, the EEF finds an increase among manufacturers’ staff.
- Mental health conditions are now a leading cause of absence, with one in four manufacturers affected.
- Only a small fraction of companies offer training for managers to deal with mental health conditions.
- The study calls for better tools and efforts to manage and reduce long-term absences.
In a comprehensive study by the manufacturer’s organisation, the EEF, it has been identified that most companies are failing to adequately address the growing mental health and stress-related issues of their workforce. This finding stands in contrast to CIPD data, which suggested a reduction in overall sickness absence.
The survey encompassed 345 manufacturers, covering 83,654 employees, and revealed a slight increase in sickness absence of 0.2 days. Alarmingly, manual workers reporting zero absences have decreased for the first time in five years, and only 55% of companies met their absence targets, marking the lowest achievement rate since 2008.
Encouragingly, half of the employees did maintain a zero absence record, and there was an increase in companies setting absence targets; only a third of firms had no target compared to two-fifths in the previous year. Furthermore, two-fifths of companies made workplace adjustments or provided training to manage long-term absences, yet only 3% assessed the impact of absence management schemes.
Mental health issues now account for significant absence, becoming one of the predominant causes for one in four manufacturers. Notably, the total number of employees reporting absence due to mental health conditions has risen steadily since 2009. Despite this, just one in ten companies offers training for line managers on handling mental health conditions like stress or depression.
A concerning observation is the lack of transparency in handling mental health issues; a mere 2% of companies have open mental-health disclosure policies. The EEF’s chief medical adviser, Professor Sayeed Khan, emphasised the widening divide between short- and long-term absences and the pressing need to tackle their root causes to support economic growth and productivity.
Khan stated, “While overall absence levels remain low, there continues to be a marked difference between short- and long-term absence which is creeping up. Without a renewed effort to tackle its root causes it will continue to act as a drag on the economy and efforts to improve productivity and boost growth.”
The importance of occupational health is echoed by Iain Laws of Jelf Employee Benefits, who mentioned that organisations are beginning to understand the productivity implications of ill health. However, many still lack formal systems to identify and manage absences early.
Adrian Lewis of Activ Absence noted the worrying trend of businesses without clear insights into their staff’s absence patterns. He observed that automating absence management typically results in significant reductions, as problems are addressed early, providing necessary support to employees.
Improved mental health management and effective absence strategies are vital for reducing long-term absences and boosting economic productivity.
