This is a statement made by Dame Carol Black in her report on the health of the working age population.
This is radically opposite to what has previously been the approach to the management of sickness which assumes that illness is incompatible with being in work.
Research from The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy shows that:
Anglian Water reduced direct absence costs by £289,000 a year with a return on investment of £3.00 for every £1.00 spent. Claims for back pain reduced by 50%
and ill health retirements by 90%.
The Royal Mail achieved a net average saving of £1.1million a year in direct absence costs with a return on investment of 300%.
Yorkshire Water achieved a return on investment of 170% by providing a physiotherapy service.
Employee absence... The true cost
Sickness absence costs the UK economy £100m per year with 175m working days lost per year.
Companies with approximately 400 employees lose on average £54,000 per annum
Highly trained staff are lost
Leading to retraining on costs affecting continuity in the workplace
Overview of sickness absence nationwide
Musculoskeletal conditions have an average absence of 10 weeks
Mental health problems account for 40% + of total sick notes issued
Mental health conditions have an average absence of 15 weeks – twice as long as other conditions