Employee absences can be difficult to predict. They can seem inconsistent and cause a sudden disruption, but the reasons behind the absence may have been underlying much longer than you might think. In 2024, the Labour Force Survey revealed that approximately 148.9 million working days were lost due to sickness or injury, showing how important health and wellbeing are to businesses.
High rates of absenteeism can be caused by an untreated physical problem that has gradually become more unmanageable. Or it may be triggered by an unaddressed wellbeing concern that has escalated over time. So, if you are seeing patterns of increased absenteeism in your team, it may be time to consider how preventative healthcare could help manage the causes of absenteeism.
Preventative healthcare can help your team address health concerns with early and consistent intervention. Therefore, by making preventative care more accessible, you encourage your team to invest in their own health and wellbeing, creating a more resilient and healthy workforce.
What is absenteeism in the workplace?
Absenteeism is the routine, repeated, and unplanned absence of employees from work.
Causes of absenteeism in the workplace
There are many reasons why you might be seeing increased levels of absenteeism, and the root cause of absence in any workforce should be investigated as a unique case. However, there are several common causes of absenteeism in the workplace, which include:
- Mental Health (e.g. burnout or work-related stress)
- Workplace conflicts
- Poor leadership
- Unplanned care responsibilities
- Injuries or Illness
What is preventative health in the workplace?
Preventative health is the practice of supporting your people to look after their health every day, not just when they experience more severe or impactful health concerns.
What preventative health could look like in your workplace may change significantly depending on the industry and environment that your team is working in day-to-day. Common forms of preventative health care could include:
- Regular health screenings
- Access to GP
- Routine optical and dental assessments
- Physiotherapy
- Counselling/ Mental Health First Aid
Preventative health in the workplace is not just about physical health either. Mental health and emotional wellbeing also play a significant factor in absenteeism in the UK. In a 2025 survey, it was found that 41% of employers reported that mental health was a leading cause of employee long-term sickness leave. This relationship between mental health and absence management reflects how important everyday access to wellbeing and mental health support is to employees.
How can preventative healthcare reduce absenteeism?
Preventative healthcare has the potential to reduce absenteeism by identifying and treating health issues before they develop and supporting team members in maintaining their health and wellbeing. By introducing preventative health programmes such as health screenings, mental health support, routine check-ups and vaccinations, employers can help:
- Identify health risks earlier
- Lower the risk of illness or health conditions
- Manage the impact of everyday health and chronic conditions
- Support employee health to keep working whilst waiting for significant treatment
- Create a positive and engaged culture of health and wellbeing support
How do preventative health programmes benefit employers?
Building a wellbeing strategy around preventative health is not only incredibly impactful for employees, but it also holds commercial value for employers. By providing preventative health benefits, employers can reduce sickness, boost team morale, and stabilise productivity. Preventative health plans for employers offer:
Stable productivity
One of the most significant business impacts of absenteeism is reduced productivity; in fact, research from the DWP suggests that £47 billion is lost in output when employees are unable to work due to ill-health. Preventative healthcare encourages your team to take a proactive approach to their everyday health, helping you to maintain stable productivity without compromising health and wellbeing.
Minimised cost of sickness leave.
Annual research from the Department for Work & Pensions shows that sickness leave and presenteeism (employees working through illness) comes with a significant price for employers each year. The annual cost of poor workplace health costs employers an estimated £85 billion per year, including £10 billion of direct costs from Statutory & Occupational Sick Pay.
Increased team morale
By investing in preventative health, you are investing in your team. Building a wellbeing strategy that prioritises everyday health and wellbeing can demonstrate the value placed on the wellbeing of your teams.
Wellbeing strategies that promote preventative health are not only designed to support those who are experiencing absenteeism, but also the team members and colleagues around them. High volumes of employee absence due to illness can place additional stress and pressure on other members of your team who are asked to cover workloads. By focusing on preventative measures through health benefits like our Evolve Health Plans, you can further minimise the impact of absenteeism on your team, including stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Reduced employee absence
Preventative health measures such as routine health screenings, dental and optical appointments play an important role in reducing the risk of sickness absences. Preventative health care can reduce this absence by identifying health concerns sooner and providing regular intervention to maintain physical health and wellbeing.
Minimised employee turnover
Unemployment and employee turnover have become a significant area of concern for both employees and employers. From 2026, an estimated 2.8 million adults in the UK are out of work due to long-term health conditions, highlighting the important correlation between health and employment.
By empowering your team to take a proactive approach to their everyday health with preventative care, you could reduce employee turnover due to health concerns.
A 2026 survey of 2,303 UK adults found that 75% of people who left employment due to ill health felt that their employers hadn’t provided suitable wellbeing support for their condition.
Not only does a high employee turnover come at a high cost for employers, but it also damages the overall workplace culture and morale of your team. Instead, investing in preventative health care demonstrates a commitment to your current employees and builds a positive reputation with prospective new team members.
Discover solutions to absenteeism: Evolve Health Cash Plan.
For organisations that are looking to make preventative health part of their employee wellbeing strategy, Evolve Health Cash Plans offer a flexible way to offer health care that works for you.
Evolve can include a range of benefits, such as dental, optical, therapy treatments and GP consultations, as well as more progressive health services such as health screenings, mental health and neurodiversity support. Building your own health coverage is simple within our online portal, allowing you to build and customise* a benefits package that grows with you.
Our Evolve Health Cash Plans are designed to offer employee healthcare that looks after your team today and reassures them for tomorrow. To understand what this means for you, explore more and get your tailored quote in minutes.
*Available for accounts with more than 50 employees only