With thousands of employees on long-term sick, the public sector is suffering a long-term sickness epidemic. Ik Onyiah, associate partner at Aon Human Capital Solutions, Helen Payne, UK director human sustainability at Aon, and Andrew Millard, public sector practice leader – north at Aon, explore ways to address this.
Almost 10,000 council staff are on long-term sick leave in England, with this number increasing by a fifth since 2019(1). A robust approach to managing sickness absence is key to keeping employees healthy and at work.
The statistics, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the Liberal Democrats, show that 9,979 members of staff across the 185 councils that responded were on long-term sick leave. In addition, 98 councils had seen a year-on-year increase in long-term sickness absence when comparing 2023 to 2024.
It’s not just England’s councils that are struggling with long-term absence. A similar request found that almost 12,000 key workers including nurses, police officers and firefighters were off long-term sick.(2)
The figures are concerning but this trend isn’t unique to the public sector. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that more than 2.8 million people are economically inactive because of long-term sickness(3) and the Health Foundation predicts that, by 2040, 3.7 million working-age adults in England will be living with major illness(4).
Reducing long-term sickness
To cut the number of long-term sick the Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to urgently reduce NHS waiting lists. There were 7.5 million on the waiting list at the end of March 2024(5), of which 309,300 cases were for more than a year.
Faster access to treatment would certainly help reduce long-term absence but a more robust approach to managing workplace health and wellbeing can also shift the dial. These are our tips:
- Create a supportive culture where employees feel able to ask for help
A culture where employees feel their health is important will encourage them to speak up if they’re struggling or something isn’t right. This is an area where the public sector is often ahead of the game, for instance the provision of support networks for employees, such as police officers, NHS staff and social workers, who may be exposed to traumatic situations.
To build the right culture, buy-in from the executive is critical. Senior leaders’ support for employee welfare makes it acceptable to ask for help.
- Use your data
Organisations have plenty of health and wellbeing data at their disposal. This might include sickness absence records, data from an EAP or wellbeing app, and results from employee engagement surveys.
Analysing this data can shape health and wellbeing programmes by identifying common health concerns and giving organisations insight into where issues are likely to arise. Additionally, it can also help to identify any problem areas that require further investigation. For instance, high levels of sickness absence in one department may indicate excessive workloads or poor line management.
Aon’s Human Sustainability Index enables employers to measure wellbeing and make informed decisions on investing in appropriate solutions.
- Invest in the right interventions – and promote them to staff
Health and wellbeing tools and services such as employee assistance programmes (EAPs), wellbeing apps and wearables are a valuable tool in keeping staff healthy. They also help to set the right culture, especially where their selection is based on workforce data. However, it’s essential that these tools are promoted regularly to employees. Using a diverse range of communication media, for instance emails, video, webinars, and messages will ensure employees know what’s available.
- Use early and proactive interventions to manage absence
Engaging with an employee as soon as they’re off can help to reduce the length of their absence. Some illnesses and injuries, for instance a broken leg or the flu, need a set recovery time but many long-term conditions will benefit from early intervention. For example, a short course of physiotherapy or some exercises could help someone recover from a bad back but, left untreated, the employee could develop mental health conditions. This can make it much harder for them to return.
As well as enabling you to direct the employee to useful tools such as the EAP or GP helpline, this early engagement also shows them they’re valued by the organisation. Agreeing a timeline if applicable, and how frequently you’ll contact them during their absence, can help strike the right balance.
- Enable managers
Good managers inspire people and, as the first person an employee usually turns to if they’re struggling with a health-related issue, they have an important part to play in managing sickness absence.
To create the supportive work environment that allows everyone to excel, a manager needs to be approachable and able to identify employee difficulties quickly – something that has become more challenging when people work remotely. Providing managers with training where necessary, plus details of all the health and wellbeing tools available through your organisation, can ensure they are able to provide the support employees need.
- Implement a flexible return to work programme
After a long-term absence, returning to work can feel like a massive barrier. The employee may have lost their confidence, have new health conditions to deal with or simply be worried about what their colleagues might say.
Liaising with them during their absence can help them feel like a valued employee but it’s also important to be flexible around their return. Offering them the opportunity for a staged return to work; a different role; or adjusted hours should they require them, for example, so they don’t have to commute during rush hour, can make the return easier. The option to use home and hybrid working has also made it easier to manage this return but be mindful that there are potential downsides to this too.
These tips will help build an effective sickness absence strategy but as every organisation is unique, we can help you build a programme that supports the needs of your workforce. Implementing a strategy that’s right for your organisation will help to reduce the numbers on long-term sick and keep your people happy and healthy.
More information
For more information about implementing an effective sickness absence strategy, speak to your Aon account manager or contact Andrew Millard ([email protected]), Ik Onyiah ([email protected]) or Helen Payne ([email protected]).
1Almost 12,000 key workers stuck on long term sick leave - Liberal Democrats (libdems.org.uk)
2Almost 12,000 key workers stuck on long term sick leave - Liberal Democrats (libdems.org.uk)
3INAC01 SA: Economic inactivity by reason (seasonally adjusted) - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
4700,000 more workers are projected to be living with major illness by 2040 (health.org.uk)
5Mar24-RTT-SPN-Pre-Publication-PDF-K.pdf (england.nhs.uk)
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues in over 120 countries and sovereignties provide our clients with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that help protect and grow their businesses.
Whilst care has been taken in the production of this article and the information contained within it has been obtained from sources that Aon UK Limited believes to be reliable, Aon UK Limited does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of the article or any part of it and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way whatsoever by any person who may rely on it. In any case any recipient shall be entirely responsible for the use to which it puts this article.
This article has been compiled using information available to us up to 05/06/2024.
Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. Tel: 020 7623 5500.