How Stress Impacts Staff Sickness
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
And what employers can do about it
The link between stress and staff sickness
Employee sickness absence is one of the biggest challenges facing workplaces today, and stress is increasingly at the centre of this issue.
Stress is the body’s natural response, but when stress becomes chronic or unmanaged, it can affect overall health and you can develop symptoms like:
Fatigue and exhaustion
Headaches and migraines
Anxiety and low mood
Poor concentration and memory
These symptoms often contribute to higher sickness absence where employees attend work while unwell and are unable to perform at their best.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (2025), stress, depression or anxiety accounted for an average of 22.9 days taken off by each person.
Research from Deloitte (2024) also highlighted the financial impact of poor workplace mental health, estimating the cost of £51 billion a year lost
Why preventative wellbeing support matters
Creating a culture where wellbeing proactively helps employees feel valued, supported, and more resilient. Even small changes - such as encouraging breaks, promoting healthy habits, improving communication, or offering wellbeing support - can positively impact stress levels.
Workplace wellness days can help reduce stress
At Welcome 2 Wellness, we deliver workplace wellness days designed to support employee wellbeing and help reduce stress in the workplace.
Our wellness sessions provide practical, realistic advice that employees can apply in everyday life with topics like:
Stress management
Workplace wellbeing
Mindset and motivation
Nutrition and energy levels
Our goal is to help people feel healthier, more supported, and better equipped to manage stress - benefitting both staff wellbeing and workplace performance.
If you would like to learn more about our workplace wellness days and how they could support your team, we would love to chat
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