How to Reduce Sickness Absence in the Workplace (10 Steps)
Sickness absence is one of the biggest hidden costs in any business. In the UK, employees were absent an average of 7.8 days a year in 2023 – up from 5.8 days before the pandemic and the highest level in over a decade.1 Across the EU, paid sick leave cost around €138 billion in 2014, roughly 1% of EU GDP – and that is before counting overtime, temporary cover and work that simply does not get done.2
The good news is that a meaningful share of sick days can be prevented. This guide explains what drives sickness absence and gives you 10 practical steps to reduce it in your workplace.
Table of Contents
1. What Causes Sickness Absence?
According to the CIPD's survey of more than 900 organizations, the most common causes are:1
- Short-term absence: minor illnesses such as colds, flu and stomach bugs.
- Long-term absence: mental ill-health, musculoskeletal injuries (back, neck and joint problems), acute medical conditions and stress.
Some of these are unavoidable. But many are linked to things an employer can influence: workload, how much people move during the day, how they are managed, and whether they feel able to ask for help before a problem turns into weeks off work.
2. What Sickness Absence Really Costs
The direct cost is sick pay. The indirect costs are often larger:
- overtime or temporary staff to cover the work;
- missed deadlines and lower service quality;
- extra pressure on colleagues, which can lead to more stress and more absence;
- presenteeism – people working while unwell, spreading illness and performing below their best.
That is why reducing absence is not just an HR metric. It is one of the most direct ways to protect productivity and team morale.
3. 10 Ways to Reduce Sickness Absence in the Workplace
3.1. 1. Measure Absence Properly
You cannot reduce what you do not track. Record every absence with its length and reason, then look at your absence rate, how often people are off, how long absences last and any patterns – for example around Mondays, holidays or busy periods. Many UK employers also use the Bradford Factor, which gives more weight to frequent short absences. Use the numbers to start supportive conversations, not to punish people.
3.2. 2. Write a Clear, Fair Absence Policy
Make sure everyone knows how and when to report sickness, who to contact, when a doctor's note is needed and how sick pay works. A clear policy removes uncertainty for employees and gives managers a consistent way to handle absence.
3.3. 3. Hold Return-to-Work Conversations
A short, friendly conversation after every absence is one of the most effective tools available. It shows that people were missed, helps managers spot underlying issues early (workload, health problems, caring responsibilities) and gives employees a chance to ask for support.
3.4. 4. Make It Easy for People to Stay Active
Research links regular physical activity with fewer sick days. In one study, employees who met the recommended level of vigorous exercise took more than four fewer sick days a year than those who did not.3 Regular movement also helps prevent the back and neck problems behind much long-term absence.
Practical ways to build activity into the working week include company step challenges, walk-and-talk meetings and active commuting campaigns such as a car-free September challenge.
3.5. 5. Support Mental Health and Manage Stress
Mental ill-health and stress are among the top causes of long-term absence. Keep workloads realistic, make it normal to talk about stress, and signpost support such as an employee assistance program. Our guide to helping employees manage stress at work covers what to do when someone raises it. Wellbeing activities do not always have to be about exercise – non-fitness wellness challenges around sleep, mindfulness or screen breaks work well too.
3.6. 6. Prevent Musculoskeletal Problems
Provide good workstation setups, encourage regular breaks from sitting, and train people in safe lifting where it matters. Physically demanding jobs need extra attention – see our guide to wellness for the deskless workforce.
3.7. 7. Reduce the Spread of Minor Illness
Simple measures make a difference during cold and flu season: good hand hygiene, well-ventilated spaces, offering flu vaccinations and making it acceptable to stay home (or work remotely, where possible) when contagious. Here are more tips on avoiding autumn sickness.
3.8. 8. Offer Flexibility
Flexible hours or hybrid work let people attend appointments, manage caring responsibilities and recover from minor illness without taking a full day off. This is especially valuable for working parents.
3.9. 9. Train Line Managers
Managers are usually the first to hear about an absence and the first to notice when someone is struggling. Give them the skills and confidence to have supportive conversations, apply the absence policy fairly and know where to refer people for help.
3.10. 10. Build a Culture of Wellbeing, Not a One-Off Perk
A gym discount on its own rarely changes behavior. What works is a consistent, year-round approach that people actually take part in. Plan regular activities across the year – our wellness challenge calendar is a good starting point – and connect them to employee engagement more broadly. For the bigger picture, see why wellness is a strategy, not a perk.
4. How Wellness Challenges Help Reduce Sick Days
Offering free sports benefits is a good start, but on its own it does not change daily habits. Wellness challenges do: they give people a shared goal, a reason to move every day and a bit of friendly competition with colleagues.
YuMuuv connects to the watches and health apps employees already use, so you can run step, activity and wellbeing challenges for the whole company in minutes – and reward people for the activity itself. To see whether it is working, track your absence rate before and after, alongside participation. Our honest guide to measuring the ROI of a corporate wellness program shows how.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
5.1. What is a normal sickness absence rate?
It varies by country, sector and organization size. In the UK, the average in 2023 was 7.8 days per employee per year.1 The most useful benchmark is your own trend: compare year on year and between teams.
5.2. What is the Bradford Factor?
A formula that highlights frequent short-term absence: S² × D, where S is the number of separate absence spells and D is the total number of days absent over a set period, usually 52 weeks. Ten one-day absences score far higher than one ten-day absence.
5.3. Can a wellness program really reduce sick days?
It can, especially when it gets people moving regularly and supports mental health. Results depend on participation, so choose activities that are inclusive and easy to join, and measure absence over at least 6–12 months.
5.4. Should employees be encouraged to come in when they are ill?
No. Presenteeism spreads illness and slows recovery. The goal is fewer people getting ill in the first place, not fewer people reporting it.
6. Start Reducing Sickness Absence With YuMuuv
Want an easy way to get your whole team moving? Book a demo and see how YuMuuv wellness challenges work for companies of any size.
