Can improving employee movement positively influence the UK’s sickness rates?

Since 2019, sickness absence rates in the UK have been climbing to near record levels. With almost 3 million people now economically inactive due to long term ill health, employers need to act fast to implement preventative measures that ensure they aren’t so exposed to the significant costs of absence. One of the primary ways to do this is to get employees moving more.  

These high absence rates are coming at a huge cost to employers. In 2024, for a 1,000-person employer, the cost of absence alone equates to around £2 million per year across all sectors. According to the Health and Safety Executive, two of the primary reasons behind these record levels of workplace absence are either mental health or musculoskeletal issues.  

More physical activity improves employee absence rates 

Excessive sedentariness can exacerbate poor mental health and exercise is the answer – there’s a significant body of evidence linking the effects of physical activity to reductions in emotional states such as anxiety and depression. Both regular and acute bouts of physical activity can boost feel good chemicals such as dopamine, improving mood and productivity. 

While stress and mental health are multifactorial so exercise alone may not solve them, from a preventative point of view, it’s still important for employers to encourage their people to take part in more physical movement – and to provide the guidance and means to help them make positive change.  

In addition to improving employee mental health, increasing the levels of physical activity among the workforce also helps to improve the other big factor leading to the rise in absence rates; musculoskeletal (MSK) issues. There is significant evidence linking sedentariness and poorer musculoskeletal health. For example, low amounts of physical activity can increase the risk of developing spinal disc degeneration in the lumbar (lower back) and thoracic (upper back) regions.  

As there is no “one size fits all” approach to exercising to combat MSK disorders, employers need to ensure a variety of exercise styles are available to employees to suit their individual needs and preferences. Some may enjoy and respond well to intense resistance training for example and others may find benefit in Pilates, or walking.  

Physical activity supports overall health and wellbeing  

Increasing physical activity massively supports health and wellbeing in general. Evidence suggests that increases in physical activity can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. And engaging in regular exercise can also increase energy levels, improve sleep, and build physical and mental resilience. 

It comes as no surprise then that the healthiest workplaces save about 11.5 days of unproductive time per year, which is the equivalent of employing an extra 5 employees per 100 already employed.  

How to get employees to be more active 

There are many evidence-based ways to get employees to not only appreciate the benefits of physical activity, but to also start changing their habits. It’s imperative that the company culture fosters and embraces movement and physical activity in all its forms. Physical activity should not only be encouraged outside of working hours but also throughout the working day. Employers need to ensure that a variety of easily accessible interventions are available to suit all ages, fitness levels and interests. From short low intensity initiatives like office exercises and yoga, to more intense forms like resistance training workouts and sports. Communications and educational content play a key role in educating employees on the importance of movement and directing them to relevant resources, activities and workouts.  

The importance of easily accessible, digital interventions. 

For most employees, moving for just an additional 5 minutes a day is enough to gain health benefits. Employers that offer accessible and simple exercise interventions that cater for all levels and abilities are more likely to see improved health across their entire workforce. Short, guided movement breaks and ‘exercise snacking’ sessions that can be done in the workplace or at home, without the need to get changed into sports gear are paramount in appealing to employees lacking the time, or motivation to get to the gym. 

I’ve been training people for 12 years and one of the biggest challenges is getting people to realise how powerful even small doses of exercise can be, and to get them started in the first place. Once they realise how good it makes them feel, they no longer need encouragement to be consistent. It becomes a regular behaviour.  

In the world of hybrid and remote working, employers should be offering, and encouraging the use of low intensity digital exercise platforms that make it quick and easy to add more movement to an employee’s day. And if you didn’t need any more convincing, the data shows that they reduce absence rates too.