Costs & Benefits

Ill health should be thought of not only as an inconvenience, it should be thought of as a cost to business. The loss of a key worker could have a bigger effect than the direct financial costs might suggest.

According to the Department of Work and Pensions:

In 2003/04 29.8 million working days were lost to ill health*
Research calculates that sickness absence cost UK businesses £13.4* billion in 2006.

But:

A 2004 review found that that every pound spent on promoting health in the workplace could lead to a £2.50 saving for businesses**.

Tackling health can be thought of as an investment that is as important or valuable as any made into a business. To learn more about the advantages of promoting health and wellbeing, click here.

Graph to show average cost per employee per year in various sectors

Source:

*CBI/AXA Absence and Labour Turnover Survey 2007

**Health, work and wellbeing - Caring for our future, Department of Health 2005. Reproduced under the terms of the OPSI Click-use license

The chart poses the question 'What is the largest cause of long term absence for manual workers'. The answer options are; 1. Back Pain, 2. Stress, 3. Work related injury, 4. Minor illness. The correct answer is Back Pain with 54% of respondents citing back pain as the leading cause of workplace absence.

The second chart poses the question 'What is the largest cause of long term absence for non-manual workers'. The answer options are;
1. Minor illness,
2. Stress,
3. Acute medical condition,
4. Mental health. The correct answer is Stress with 67.6% of respondents citing stress as the leading cause of workplace absence

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