Not sure where to start? Our combo foundation is perfect for SME’S
H&S ServicesWorkplace WellbeingHR ServicesE-Learning
Our brochures are a one-stop-shop for all your HR, Health & Safety and Training needs.
Want to talk to us? Get in touch!
Not sure where to start? Our combo foundation is perfect for SME’S
Our brochures are a one-stop-shop for all your HR, Health & Safety and Training needs.
Want to talk to us? Get in touch!
The latest ONS data shows that sickness absence across the UK fell slightly to 2.0% in 2024 (down from 2.3% in 2023). On the surface, that sounds like good news. But look a little deeper, and absence is still sitting above pre-pandemic levels and employers are feeling the pressure.
In 2024, UK workers lost 148.9 million working days due to sickness or injury. That works out at around 4.4 days per employee – not just a statistic, but lost time, stressed colleagues, and disrupted projects.
The main culprits were:
Minor illnesses (30%)
Musculoskeletal issues (15.5%)
Mental health conditions (9.8%)
Respiratory issues (7.3%)
If you’ve ever had a key team member off for a week, you’ll know how quickly the impact is felt, workloads pile up, deadlines slip, and team morale can take a knock.
Absence isn’t just about lost working days; it’s about people. Every number represents someone struggling with a cold, a bad back, or their mental health – and a team trying to carry on without them.
If absence isn’t managed well, businesses can end up with:
Rising costs from cover and lost productivity
Stretched HR and management time
Colleagues quietly burning out from covering gaps
Risk of legal trouble if record-keeping or reporting falls short
At Craven, we help businesses look beyond the spreadsheet and put people at the heart of absence management. Here’s how:
We’ll help you build absence policies that set expectations, support staff fairly, and give managers the confidence to handle absence consistently.
The right conversation after sickness makes all the difference. We coach managers to run supportive return-to-work meetings that reduce repeat absences and build trust.
With back pain and stress among the top causes of absence, our Health & Safety team can carry out ergonomic assessments, stress risk reviews, and wellbeing checks to tackle issues before they escalate.
Still chasing paper forms or updating spreadsheets? Our HR software makes absence logging simple, giving you instant insights into patterns so you can step in early.
We offer Mental Health First Aid training, Wellbeing Toolkits, and manager guidance to create a culture where people feel safe to talk and supported to thrive.
Not all absences are about illness – sometimes they highlight that workplaces aren’t set up to support everyone equally. We help you embrace neurodiversity, make reasonable adjustments, and use easy-read and accessible tools so everyone can perform at their best.
Yes, absence rates dipped slightly in 2024, but the challenge isn’t going away. The businesses that thrive are those that treat absence not just as a cost, but as a signal about their culture and people’s wellbeing.
At Craven, we combine HR expertise, Health & Safety insight, and practical wellbeing initiatives to help you manage absence in a way that protects your people and strengthens your business.
💡 Want to get proactive about absence in your workplace? Get in touch and let’s talk about how we can help.
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