Good Work
A healthy workforce is one that feels engaged and motivated. Achieving this, however, is not always straightforward. Employees bring with them complex lives, competing pressures and challenges outside of work, all of which can spill over into the workplace. Added to this are the pressures of management responsibility, economic uncertainty, and organisational change, which can also affect morale at every level.
We know that “good work” is good for mental health and wellbeing. The question for employers, therefore, is how to move beyond awareness and take action to create workplaces that promote purpose and sustainable engagement.
Spotting the Signs
When it comes to absence management, experience consistently shows that a proactive approach makes a real difference. Identifying concerns early and offering timely, targeted support is far more effective than reacting once issues have escalated. Early intervention can lead to reduced absence, smoother return-to-work planning, and lower absence-related costs overall.
The scale of the challenge is significant. In 2024/25, an estimated 22.1 million working days were lost due to stress, depression, or anxiety, with individuals affected by work-related stress taking an average of 22.9 days off work. The financial impact is substantial, with workplace stress and absence costing UK businesses tens of billions of pounds each .
We also saw from April 2026, changes to the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) regime with the removal of the statutory lower earnings limit and waiting days meaning that more workers are entitled to SSP (or 80% of their average earnings, whichever is the lower amount) from their first day of their . Acas report that SSP changes will bring an additional cost to business of £450million. This shines a light on internal absence management procedures and emphasises the need for good absence management processes, training for managers and the need to both update and clearly communicate absence policies. is also growing evidence that younger workers, in particular, are experiencing increased pressure and burnout.
Action Planning
Under the Equality Act 2010, the definition of disability includes mental as well as physical impairments. As a result, supporting employee mental health is not simply a “nice to have” — it is a legal obligation. Where appropriate, employers must also consider and implement reasonable adjustments to support staff with mental health concerns.
Having clear absence management processes, which include support systems from, for example, Employee Assistance Programmes and which are properly adhered to is important. Training managers to recognise the early signs of difficulty, how to manage absence proactively and their legal obligations when it comes to disability discrimination is vital.
The Mental Health Foundation highlights the importance of both “easy wins” and longer-term sustainable changes when it comes to taking action in supporting mental . Employers can think about this in terms of practical actions that managers, HR and People teams can take to better support their workforce. For example, improving workplace and team communication, making collective goals, and sharing progress, celebrating success, and ensuring there is targeted support and understanding when needed.
A Call to Action
When employees can see how their contribution makes a difference, they are more motivated and engaged. Purpose-driven work is a powerful engagement tool and should be embedded into performance reviews, development conversations, and everyday management practice. Have conversations, raise awareness of mental health issues, and train your managers to take a proactive approach, but also focus on sustainable support too.