23 Sep 2025

From absenteeism to engagement: tackling chronic health challenges at work

As the workforce ages, chronic illness will increase – here’s what employers need to consider within their health and wellbeing strategy now.

The UK (and global) population is ageing, and this demographic shift is increasingly affecting the workforce.

As employees age, the likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory conditions increases.

While many chronic conditions are not necessarily life-limiting, they can significantly affect an individual's ability to work, potentially leading to higher absenteeism, presenteeism, and reduced productivity.

The rise in chronic illnesses among the workforce has several implications for employers, including:

Higher absenteeism and presenteeism: Employees with chronic illnesses may need to take more time off work for appointments, treatment, or to manage their symptoms. Presenteeism – when an employee is not fully functioning in the workplace because of an illness, injury or other condition – can also reduce individual performance and increase the risk of errors.
Increased healthcare costs: Chronic conditions typically need ongoing medical treatment, medications, and potentially more specialised care. While most private medical insurance (PMI) plans exclude chronic conditions, employers and employees still face increased costs through other channels, such as occupational health, employee-funded benefits, or broader wellbeing initiatives. It’s important to distinguish between direct insurance premiums and indirect healthcare-related expenses.
Increased risk of workplace accidents: Where a chronic condition impairs physical ability or cognitive function, it can increase the risk of accidents and injuries in the workplace.
Reduced productivity and morale: It goes without saying that suffering from a chronic condition can impact an employee's wellbeing, focus and energy levels. This can lead to reduced productivity and a decline in morale which can impact not just the employee but also their work colleagues.

While costs are undoubtably a concern, employers need to invest in and develop comprehensive health and wellbeing strategies.

These could include:

Promotion of healthy lifestyle choices: Encourage regular exercise, healthy eating, and stress management techniques through workplace wellness programmes, educational campaigns, and perhaps offer access to gym memberships or healthy food options.
Offer health screenings and assessments: Provide access to regular health assessments, including those offered by the NHS Health Check programme, to allow the early identification of potential health risks. Increasingly health assessments are offered as an employee funded benefit.
Flexible working: Where an employee has a chronic condition an option could be to allow flexible working hours, remote work options, or part-time work to accommodate employees' needs and reduce the impact on their ability to work.
Ergonomic assessments and adjustments: Although display screen equipment (DSE) assessments are required for employees using display screens, employers should also ensure that workstations are ergonomically appropriate to minimise physical strain and discomfort, particularly for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
Occupational health support: It would seem logical that employees are provided with access to occupational health professionals in order to obtain support and advice to help manage chronic conditions in the workplace.
Employee assistance programmes: Often overlooked, employers can offer access to counselling and support services which are available through employee assistance programmes (EAP). Often access to an EAP comes at no additional cost to the employer as a value-added benefit through group risk policies (group life or income protection) but do check with your insurer.
Virtual health services: Group risk and healthcare providers increasingly offer access to digital tools to provide access to healthcare services remotely. This is particularly useful for employees who are unable to easily access traditional healthcare.
Wearable technology and health apps: Wearable devices and health apps which track activity, sleep patterns, and other health indicators are now commonplace, with some insurers providing access at a reduced cost.
Online health resources and educational materials: Often forgotten or ignored, group risk and healthcare providers often provide access to a wealth of online resources, articles, and videos on health-related topics which can allow employees to take active control of their health.

The options above can help mitigate the impact of rising chronic conditions in the workplace.

It is essential that employers monitor and measure their effectiveness, with the aim of reducing absenteeism and presenteeism, lowering healthcare premium costs and creating a happier, more engaged workforce.