Mental health drives UK's long-term workplace absences in 2025

Mental ill health remains the top cause of long-term absence in the UK. It also ranks second for short-term sickness. In the civil service alone, it accounted for 47.1% of long-term absences in the year to March 2025. The cost of each sick day averages £120 in lost profits for businesses. Calculating absence rates uses a standard formula: total absence hours divided by total scheduled hours, multiplied by 100. The Office for National Statistics suggests an acceptable sickness absence rate falls between 1.5% and 2%.

Most attendance issues show early signs before becoming persistent. Supportive managers can address these problems effectively through workload reviews, better management, and genuine support systems. Disciplinary actions, however, prove less effective than positive incentives like team perks or extra holidays.

Flexible working arrangements consistently reduce absenteeism. Yet only 29% of organisations train line managers to support staff with mental health struggles. This gap exists despite 57% of companies having a standalone wellbeing strategy. Stress-related absence responds best to proactive support rather than punishment. Businesses can lower absence rates by adopting flexible policies and training managers. The financial and operational benefits of such measures are clear.