Rising levels of sickness are taking a toll on many workplaces, research has suggested, with employers reporting increased absence affecting their productivity, service quality, staff morale and, ultimately, their bottom line.

A poll of 233 employers by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) found nearly half (48.5%) said rising sickness rates were resulting in reduced productivity.

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More than a third (36.5%) said it was causing a decline in service quality, with 31% pointing to lower morale among co-workers as a result. More than a quarter (26%) said it was causing either direct or indirect financial implications for their business.

When asked what measures, if any, they were taking to tackle this, more than half (51%) said they were introducing flexible work policies.

Better training and guidance around workplace health and safety came next (40%), followed by improved education for employees around health and wellbeing generally (37%).

Investing in employee assistance programmes and/or counselling and mental health support was the answer for 30% of the employers polled.

A total of 29% pointed to more measures to monitor and manage workload (29%), and 27% said they would be doing more to promote workplace physical hygiene.

Only 13% of surveyed employers said they would not be offering any health-related measures, highlighting the growing momentum for businesses to prioritise health and wellbeing, said the REC.

REC deputy chief executive Kate Shoesmith said: “Tackling rising ill health is a massive social and economic challenge for the government and business.

“Finding solutions to address sickness absence is paramount, therefore, with many employers already getting on the front foot. Just over half are offering flexible working policies something regularly requested by candidates during a recruitment process and is another reason why measures in the Employment Rights Bill must carefully balance both the individual’s and the employer’s needs.

“With only 13% of surveyed employers not offering any support measures, it is evident that businesses recognise the importance of this issue. As always, government working with employers on innovative and comprehensive health and wellbeing programmes will be the way to tackle and reduce sickness absence levels in the long run,” Shoosmith added.

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