In tough economic times, every penny—and every hour of productivity—matters.
Yet the latest ONS Sickness Absence in the UK Labour Market Report (2023–2024) confirms what many HR professionals already feel: sickness absence is rising again, and it’s becoming harder—and more sensitive—to manage.
In 2024, UK workers lost an estimated 148.9 million working days to sickness or injury, averaging 4.4 days per worker. While this is slightly down from 2023, it remains above pre-pandemic levels—and it’s disproportionately affecting the public sector, young workers, and women.
The challenges are piling up:
HR is under pressure to cut costs.
Businesses want productivity gains—without new headcount.
Teams are managing larger workloads due to restructuring and efficiency drives.
A recent tribunal has highlighted the legal and ethical risks of mishandling employees on sick leave (case reference).
So how should HR respond?
The Data Behind the Headlines: Public vs Private Sector
The ONS data reveals a persistent gap:
Public sector sickness absence rate: 2.9%
Private sector: 1.8%
This disparity may reflect a range of factors not just the nature of public-facing roles or exposure risks, but also differences in organisational culture, job security, pension arrangements, and how sickness absence is recorded and supported. Public sector roles may also offer greater psychological safety to report health issues without fear of job loss, which can influence reported absence levels.
Understanding the Real Causes
Sickness absence is not just about minor illness. The top causes in 2024 were:
Minor illnesses – 30%
Musculoskeletal issues – 15.5%
Mental health conditions – 9.8%
Younger workers, particularly women aged 16–24, are now more likely to take sick leave than over-50s. This shift challenges old assumptions about workforce health—and spotlights stress, anxiety, and burnout as growing contributors.
So What Can HR Do?
1. Shift from Admin to Intelligence
Too many absence management systems are reactive, inconsistent, or punitive. We need a smarter approach.
How do you measure absence effectively?
Frequency – Are there repeated short-term absences?
Patterns – Do absences follow specific work events (e.g. reviews, peak periods)?
Clusters – Are certain teams showing higher rates?
Duration – Are long-term conditions being flagged early?
💡 These metrics should raise support—not suspicion.
2. Trigger the Right Kind of Concern
AI can help detect emerging risks using ethical, anonymised analysis. Key triggers might include:
3+ short absences within 3 months
A drop in team engagement + increase in absence
Burnout indicators in feedback surveys or exit interviews
Return-to-work notes mentioning stress, overwhelm, or poor team dynamics
These insights should trigger a wellbeing check-in, not a warning letter.
3. Reduce the Impact: Fast AI Fixes
Sickness absence is hard to eliminate entirely—but with the right tools, you can act in real time to limit disruption, support recovery, and prevent escalation.
AI-Enabled Solutions
Digital Wellbeing Assistant - 24/7 chatbot support for wellbeing, policies, and mental health resources
Burnout & Absence Dashboards - Real-time visibility of team trends, stress levels, and absence spikes
Manager Nudges - Micro-prompts to support check-ins and rebalance workloads proactively
Smart Resource Matching - AI routes employees to EAP, counselling, or ergonomic solutions based on need
Sentiment & Survey Analysis - Text analytics flags early signs of burnout from feedback and queries
Auto-Triggered Learning - Role-specific nudges to complete resilience or leadership training
AI-Powered Onboarding & Role Review - Pre-boarding skill gap ID, digital support to full productivity, and role load checks
Absence, Performance Reviews & Training: Connected, Not Isolated
Absence should inform how we assess and develop people—it’s not an isolated metric.
Performance Reviews
Use AI to correlate absence with performance data, spotting overwork or quiet quitting
Build in wellbeing conversations as a standard part of reviews
Avoid reinforcing presenteeism by celebrating only perfect attendance
Training as a Preventive Tool
Run skills diagnostics on teams with high absence
Offer on-demand resilience and time management training
Use AI to push micro-learning to managers leading under pressure
Example ChatGPT Prompts Managers Can Use
“Act as a team member struggling with workload. Let me practice offering support.”
“Rewrite this performance review to sound fair but firm.”
“What are five signs my team might be experiencing burnout?”
“Help me design a 30-minute new manager training session.”
“Draft a follow-up note after a tough team meeting to rebuild trust.”
AI and the Reallocation Opportunity
“Our future of work is one where we identify the right tasks and utilise #AI on them likely increasing our efficiency, while also enabling us to perform some tasks better.” Gianni Giacomelli
A recent analysis by (source) explored the impact of generative AI on work productivity and what it means when applied to real job roles, like CEOs or team leaders.
Early extrapolations show:
AI frees up time across documentation, analysis, and routine queries
The saved time doesn’t just vanish—it should be reinvested:
To improve the quality of the same task
To tackle work we’ve historically deprioritised
To unlock growth by acting on previously neglected insights
This introduces a new challenge for HR: How do we make sure the time saved by AI doesn’t become time wasted? The answer lies in goal-setting, job redesign, and prioritising meaningful work.
A Sensitive Balance
The recent employment tribunal ruling against HMRC for mishandling communication during sick leave is a clear warning: absence isn’t just a data point it’s a human experience.
HR leaders must balance:
Business productivity pressures
Legal and ethical obligations
The need to protect trust in your culture
Conclusion
Sickness absence has increased, and expectations on HR have never been higher.
But with the right data, tools, and mindset, we can do more than manage absence we can design a workplace that helps people stay well enough to stay.
Sources
The ONS Absence & Sickness Report - Read the full ONS report here
The case of Toure v HMRC, the tribunal found that HM Revenue & Customs harassed an employee, Ms. Kani Toure, by maintaining excessive and unwanted contact during her extended sick leave for work-related stress. Despite her explicit requests for minimal correspondence, including opting out of birthday acknowledgments, HMRC sent her a birthday card and contacted her 11 times over three weeks. The tribunal ruled that this conduct created a hostile and intimidating environment, amounting to disability harassment. Ms. Toure was awarded £25,251.62 in compensation, primarily for injury to feelings . This case highlights the importance of respecting employees’ boundaries during sick leave and ensuring that any contact is appropriate and considerate. For more details on this case, you can refer to the full article here: HMRC’s £25,000 reminder to respect employee’s sick leave communication boundaries
Infographic
