The UK is facing a crisis in workforce health. According to the 2025 CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work report, employees are now averaging 9.4 sick days per year, a 15-year high, and a 62% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The Employment Rights Bill is set to introduce a day-one entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and remove the lower earnings threshold, increasing the cost of absence for employers.
Yet many managers and people leaders are ill-equipped to manage employee wellbeing and sickness absence effectively. A recent Government review, led by the former Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership and a UK Treasury board member, highlights the hidden cost of unmanaged absence, which erodes productivity and affects team morale.
For organisations dealing with economic uncertainty, talent shortages, and operational strain, rising absence requires more than reactive policies. Strategic absence management can improve employee experience, reduce stress on teams, and protect performance.
Tackling occupational burnout
Sickness absence has long been treated as a transactional HR task: track the days, follow policy, close the case. Today, it requires a cultural shift—one that gives managers the confidence and guidance to handle absence cases with care.
Rising absence rates often reflect deeper organisational issues:
- Job stress and burnout
- Disengagement or presenteeism
- Capability gaps in line management
With leaner teams, lost productivity compounds pressure on remaining staff. Mental ill health is now the leading cause of long-term absence. Indeed, the CIPD reports that while 64% of organisations are taking steps to reduce stress, only half feel their efforts are effective, showing the need for practical support.
EPG’s specialists in HR advisory, coaching, and digital learning help managers respond confidently to absence, providing tools and early intervention strategies that address the root causes of stress.
Digital absence case management
Organisations are reframing absence management as more than a cost centre, it’s a way to strengthen engagement, build manager confidence, and support employees. Key approaches include:
- Giving managers step-by-step guidance to handle sensitive cases
- Using HR data to spot trends, refine policies, and promote wellbeing
- Streamlining processes with automated alerts and guided workflows, freeing HR teams to focus on strategy
By combining digital case management with advisory support and tailored learning, managers and HR teams are able to act decisively while maintaining a supportive culture.
Manager training to support mental health
The CIPD report shows only 29% of organisations train managers to support mental health, even though training improves confidence and outcomes.
Comprehensive programmes in coaching and digital learning can help managers:
- Handle absence consistently and with care
- Reduce escalation and maintain team trust
- Meet compliance requirements while supporting wellbeing
Structured coaching also helps employees return to work confidently, improving communication, setting realistic productivity plans, and building resilience to reduce the risk of future absence.
Embedding absence management into HR strategies
When absence management is linked to broader people strategies, it becomes a driver of organisational change. HR leaders can use absence data to uncover:
- Workload pressures affecting wellbeing
- Gaps in mental health training
- Team engagement or performance drops
- Rising grievances or claims
With SSP reforms expanding employee rights, HR teams need a compliant, inclusive, and compassionate approach. With advisory support, integrated data insights and guided collaboration across legal, finance, and operational teams, HR teams can drive improved absence management.
Building stronger workplace engagement
Proactive absence management isn’t just about reducing sick leave. It helps create healthier and more resilient workplaces. Organisations taking a strategic approach can:
- Reduce burnout and stress
- Improve employee experience and engagement
- Reclaim productivity and ease operational pressure
Get in touch to explore how our group specialists can support your organisation in managing absence, boosting manager confidence, and building a healthier, more resilient workforce.
