‘Sick at the desk’ workforce crisis costs UK economy billions every year

Britain’s workforce health crisis isn t happening on sick leave; it’s happening at the desk, as employees are working through illness and stress. Poor workforce health is estimated to cost the UK economy £241bn in lost productivity annually, according to claims in a new report by healthcare insurer Vitality, with mental ill-health being the single largest driver, as high-risk employees are estimated to lose 30 days of productive time per year. Gen Z that is experiencing unprecedented levels of psychological distress at work, with eight in ten young workers reporting struggles with their mental health, ten times the rate of Baby Boomers. This crisis is costing businesses roughly £7,000 per employee every year, yet fewer than a third of employers offer mental health support or counselling. Despite the influx of big businesses offering private healthcare coverage as part of an employee benefit, the report showed that only 20 per cent of UK employees are offered health insura