Long-Term Sickness Absence Rates Hit a New High

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that a record number of people in the UK (2.55 million) are not working due to long-term sickness. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people suffering from conditions relating to poor mental health. In addition, there has been an increase in musculoskeletal issues, which is attributed to the fact that more people are working from home. These statistics reinforce the importance of having in place robust absence management procedures and access to employee assistance programmes and occupational health expertise for support and guidance. Training for line managers, especially on the risk of disability discrimination, should also be refreshed to help manage legal risk. If you require help with this please don’t hesitate to get in touch.