A new research report amongst employees at companies with 50+ employees shows that employee absence due to sickness or holidays is harming the mental health of colleagues who remain active in the workplace.
The independent report commissioned by leading corporate health and wellbeing provider HCML, found that although a third of employers cited rising workloads as a main reason for employee mental health-related sickness absence, they recognise there are broader causal factors, and therefore the reasons are far more complex.
- 40% of employers say rising workload is the main reason for their staff being off work with mental health illness.
- 31% of employees surveyed felt that workload pressures would ease if fewer colleagues were off sick.
- Employers need to be better equipped to help colleagues better manage workload and remain resilient.
- With school holidays underway more people choose to take holidays and therefore workloads for those at work are likely to rise sharply at this time of year.
The report found that the employers surveyed who said that mental health conditions were the main reason for staff sickness absence in the last six months recognised that increased workload is a significant cause of their mental ill health. We know that when colleagues are absent, their responsibilities often fall on the remaining team members. This can lead to increased stress, longer working hours, and burnout, which in turn can weaken the immune system.
The report also found that increased pressure and expectation around performance at work contributed to mental ill health absence with 27.36% of employers stating this as a main reason. Coupled with a rising workload, this is recognised as a significant issue.
The data also showed that over half of employers (65.09%) cite the cost-of-living crisis as another factor in the rise in mental ill health absence. Interestingly the size of the company also had an impact on the data with those employed by bigger organisations more likely to be absent. This could be due to less impact in bigger teams and more people available to take the extra workload on.
22% of employers suggested a lack of support due to hybrid and work-from-home situations was a reason for mental ill health absence. The report suggests that conflicting home and work demands (23.58% of employers cited this as a main reason for absence), job security (15.09%) and circumstances to do with personal and home life (46.23%) as well as those already mentioned above are all contributing factors of mental illness and ultimately cause a rise in workplace absence.
Pamela Gellatly, Strategic Development Director, HCML, says:
Managers have a duty of care to ensure that employees are not overwhelmed while their colleagues are off sick or on annual leave. When absences are known in advance, annual leave for example, it is important to review the workload to ensure it doesn’t impact the employees who are covering.
Pamela Gellatly, Strategic Development Director, HCML
Employers seem aware that poor mental health and a rise in workplace absence are inextricably linked but finding key solutions to tackle this are less easily understood. Where our NHS cannot provide immediate help for those suffering from mental ill health, employers must offer solutions.
EAPs and workplace benefits can offer targeted and specialist help for those with mental health issues. For many employers providing more in the way of health and wellbeing benefits could be the difference between a healthy, happy and present workforce and in turn a profitable company.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.