How to reduce employee sick days in SMEs (UK)

Blog article | By Simplyhealth | Published on 18/06/2026

Contents

• How to reduce employee sick days in SMEs (UK)

• Why employees take sick days

• What actually reduces absence

• The cost of sick days

• Product comparison table

• “Best for” … breakdown

• Step-by-step action plan

Small businesses can reduce employee sick days by improving access to healthcare, supporting mental wellbeing, and creating a healthier workplace culture.¹ Faster treatment, preventative care, and simple wellbeing benefits consistently cut sick days and keep teams productive.²

Why employees take sick days

Physical health issues

The CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work report found that minor illnesses and musculoskeletal problems remain the biggest drivers of short‑term absence. These include colds, flu, back pain, and joint issues - some of which can worsen without early treatment.

What actually reduces absence?

Reducing sickness absence in SMEs isn’t about pushing people to “take fewer sick days” - it’s about removing the barriers that keep them off work longer than necessary. The most effective strategies focus on speed, prevention, and support.

Faster access to healthcare

• Online GP appointments - reduces wait times from days/weeks to minutes.

  
  

• Physiotherapy and musculoskeletal support - resolve back pain and musculoskeletal issues, a top cause of UK absence.

  
  

• Fast access to diagnostics and treatment – helps to prevent long-term uncertainty and repeated sick days.

  
  
  

Preventative care and early intervention

• Dental cover – money back towards routine check-ups and essential treatments, helping spot issues early.

  
  

• Everyday health cover – optical, physio, podiatry and other routine care, encouraging employees to stay on top of their health.

  
  

• Health tests and private medical scans – for earlier diagnosis and peace of mind.

*Specific coverage will vary depending on the provider and plan. Always read the terms and conditions.

Mental health support

• 24/7 mental health support – Confidential, anytime access to trained professionals through the provider’s chosen support channels (such as helplines or messaging services), offering guidance for stress, anxiety and emotional challenges.

  
  

• Mental health coaching – Self-pay online sessions focused on building resilience, improving wellbeing and supporting personal growth. Best suited to general wellbeing and stress management, rather than a replacement for clinical therapy or counselling.

  
  

• Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) - Confidential guidance for both work‑related and personal issues.

These services are provided by third party providers.

The cost of sick days

Workplace absence is costing £220 billion annually, through loss of productivity and absence rates, making improving workforce health one of the biggest challenges facing the UK today.⁵

Cost per employee: UK employees average 9.4 sick days per year, the highest in 15+ years.⁶

Impact on SMEs: The median cost of employee sickness for SMEs is £27,964 - equivalent to 1.7% of total turnover in 2024/2025.  Extrapolated across the UK SME population, this represents a staggering £28.9 billion a year in lost output.⁷

Small team effect: Even one absence can significantly disrupt operations and workload distribution.

Product comparison table

This table helps SMEs quickly understand the differences between three key health‑related absence‑reduction tools: health cash plans, private medical insurance, and wellbeing support. Each option is broken down by what it aims to solve, the cost, how quickly it works, and how suitable it is for small businesses.

“Best for…” breakdown

• Everyday absence reduction: Health cash plans are ideal for claiming money back towards minor illness, physio, dental and optical treatments.

  
  

• Serious medical issues: Private medical insurance for diagnostics of acute conditions. Reducing long-term absence by speeding up specialist care.

  
  

• Stress & burnout: Wellbeing support such as counselling, mental health tools, and EAPs

  
  

*Specific coverage will vary depending on the provider, plan and terms and conditions.

Step‑by‑step action plan

1. Identify your biggest absence drivers
   Pull the last 6–12 months of absence data. Group by reason (e.g., colds/flu, MSK pain, stress), duration (1-2 days vs 1+ weeks) and team/role. Validate patterns in return-to-work chats.

   
   

2. Remove delays in getting care
   Focus on the conditions that create repeat or longer absences: same-day clinical advice (e.g., online GP), MSK support (physio triage), and faster diagnostics for unresolved symptoms.

   
   

3. Add low-friction preventative benefits
   Choose benefits people will actually use: routine dental/optical, everyday healthcare cash plans, and early-intervention services. Promote them with simple “how to use” steps and manager prompts.

   
   

4. Strengthen mental health and workload support
   Train managers to spot early signs of stress, agree realistic workload adjustments, and signpost support (EAP/counselling/coaching). Make flexibility practical (core hours, hybrid patterns, time for appointments).

   
   

5. Measure, learn, and adjust
   Track total days lost, average duration, repeat absence and uptake of support. Keep what’s working, simplify what isn’t, and refresh comms every quarter.