Approximately 33.7 million working days have been lost as a result of work-related ill health or injury in the past year, according to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) annual report.
The Health and Safety at Work statistics showed that 1.7 million workers reported experiencing work-related ill health in 2023-24, a slight decrease compared to 1.8 million in the previous year.
Of these workers, around half (776,000) cited stress, depression or anxiety as the cause of their ill health, while 543,000 workers experienced musculoskeletal disorders. These figures demonstrate that work-related ill health and injury is coming at a price, with injuries and ill health caused by working conditions costing £21.6bn in 2022-23.
Number of employees with ‘work limiting’ health conditions jumps 60 per cent – what can HR do?
Managing workplace mental health issues
In addition, the report revealed that 604,000 workers experienced non-fatal injuries in the workplace, and 138 people were killed because of work-related accidents in the last year.
Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, told People Management the figures were “very concerning” and “reveal the scourge of work-related ill health”.
“The key to solving this is prevention,” she explained. “There is no quick fix, but we need to see a real focus from the government on investment in preventing poor health caused by work.
“This includes equipping small and medium-sized businesses with the awareness, resources and tools they need for health and safety management and to invest in prevention, risk management and early intervention around occupational health.”
Vanessa Sallows, group protection claims and governance director at Legal & General, said: “A lot of work has gone into raising awareness and knowledge of mental wellbeing, reducing stigma and creating psychologically safe environments. So, it’s likely that some of the increase in self-reported stress is down to this, and that’s a positive thing.”
She noted that getting productivity loss to zero was impossible, and “striving for that might only serve to inadvertently increase work-related stress and burnout”.
“Even the most satisfied employees have the occasional period when they’re not at their peak,” Sallows added. “The important point is they have a much lower level of productivity loss.”
The Impact of poor job quality on health
A separate report from the Commission for Healthier Working Lives suggested that poor job quality could have a knock-on effect on employee health. “Being in precarious work is associated with poorer health and particularly mental ill-health, with the persistence of precariousness appearing to magnify impacts,” the report stated, adding that poor mental wellbeing could persist after the threat of job loss has been removed.
It also noted: “Long hours, night shifts and weekend working all appear to increase risks of poor mental health, but also poorer physical health and unhealthy lifestyles.
“Mismatches between desired hours and actual hours – both being ‘overemployed’ and ‘underemployed’ – are also associated with a higher incidence of ill health.”
Highly demanding and stressful work, as well as poor relationships, workplace bullying and discrimination, could also all bring health risks, the commission found, advising that “higher levels of control at work” could protect workers’ health and wellbeing.
However, it stated: “We found little evidence that health and wellbeing initiatives at work led to improvements in health, emphasising that organisational rather than individual factors are likely to be more important determinants of good health at work.”
What should employers be doing?
“Employers have a duty of care to protect the health and wellbeing of their people,” Alice Nagar, head of people, wellbeing and equity at MHFA England, told People Management.
She said they should “prioritise psychological safety by fostering environments where employees feel comfortable discussing challenges”, also explaining that “good job design, manageable workloads, promoting mental health awareness through training and offering flexible working can reduce stress and improve resilience”.
“Managers should also be equipped with the skills and confidence to have regular wellbeing check-ins with their team to catch issues early and provide support,” she added, also suggesting that offering flexible hours and reasonable adjustments for employees can help them remain healthy and productive.
Rebecca Holt, co-founder and director of Working Mindset, told People Management that a “prolific” always-on culture was leading to poor mental health and reduced productivity.
She warned: “We often fear taking time off work because of the risk of how this is perceived. This so often can lead to longer-term mental health difficulties, longer duration of recovery and more time off.
“We need to get much better at creating those conditions where people can say early on when they are struggling, so that they can be supported.”
To do this, Holt said leaders needed to model looking after themselves, switching off and putting the boundaries in place. “People look to see what others are doing to guide their behaviour,” she added.
For further information on this topic, read the CIPD’s factsheet on mental health in the workplace