Mental ill health is the second largest cause of time lost due to sickness absence in UK organisations with stress, depression, and anxiety accounting for over 50% of these mental health problems, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Active Health Partners.

The findings – drawn from a unique analysis of the real absence records of 30,000 employees working across 40 different organisations – are captured in the new report, ‘New directions in managing employee absence’.

The number one cause of time lost due to sickness absence is musculoskeletal conditions. However it is the evidence on mental ill health which the Government will find particularly worrying in view of the huge increase in the proportion of people claiming incapacity benefit over the last ten years who have mental health problems.

The findings highlight the huge impact mental health problems have on the workplace:

• Employees take on average 21 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell
• The average length of time off for an employee suffering depression is 30 days for each sickness absence spell
• The average length of time off work for someone suffering from stress is 21 days for each sickness absence spell
• The average length of time off for an individual suffering anxiety is 21 days for each sickness absence spell

Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, says: “This research shows how important it is for managers and HR practitioners to be aware of the signs of mental ill health so that they can take action early and provide support before the individual’s condition deteriorates to the point they go off on long-term sick leave.

“However the Government also has a role to play in finding ways to help and encourage more employers to provide their staff with access to cost effective occupational health services. We would like to see tax incentives introduced to encourage more employers to offer occupational health services to employees, as well as further Government investment in the development and extension of services such as NHS Plus and Workplace Health Connect.

“Just as crucially GPs need to work more closely with employers to identify opportunities for phased return-to-work for individuals with mental health problems in less demanding or reduced hours’ roles as part of their rehabilitation. Otherwise more employees with mental health problems will fall out of employment altogether and add to the incapacity benefit claimants.”

The report identifies a new approach to absence management as it helps identify whether an individual takes more or less time off than might normally be expected for a person with a particular condition considering their age, occupation and gender.

Such information is vital because it can provide accurate guidance for employers on when an employee should normally be expected to return-to-work and at what point occupational health interventions should typically be made to help the individual make a successful recovery.

Ingolv Urnes, Chief Executive Officer, Active Health Partners, says: “Accurate sickness absence data will leave employers better equipped to tackle issues, such as mental health, and enable managers to intervene in a reasonable and timely way so that sickness absence can be managed effectively and individuals can be supported in their rehabilitation and return-to-work. This will help improve productivity, reduce costs and litigation risks.

“This report extends current thinking about HR interventions by shedding light on how employers can make use of employee data to make more precise and sophisticated decisions when managing individual cases of absence from work. “

Sector

• Employees working in the public sector take on average 24 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell
• Private sector employees take on average 20 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell

Gender

• Men take on average 20 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell
• Women take 22 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell

Age

• Employees up to the age of 25 take on average 17 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell
• Employees aged between 25 and 54 take on average 21 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell
• Employees aged between 55 and 65 take on average 36 days for each mental health related sickness absence spell

Source: CIPD