New workplace challenges for employers

Workplace challenges are evolving and becoming more complex, making the role of leaders and how they follow-up their employees ever more essential to good workplace welfare.

In 2019, pre-pandemic, mental health issues officially accounted for over 25% of all workplace absence. However, experts agree that this number is understated due the cascade effect that psychosocial factors can have on physiological symptoms, such as back and neck pain which are not reported as being caused by mental health.

The rise of spychosocial factors as a driving cause of workplace absence creates new challenges for leaders. Workplaces are known to contribute to the sick leave problem, with leadership practice closely tied to employee workplace health.

The younger generation are disproportionately affected by phychosocial factors and are more vulnerble to wider lifestyle factors affecting their Workability. This group places very different demands on employers and want to be included in how their work is organised and structured.

Sick-leave prevention is needed to tackle new workplace challenges facing employers

It is widely accepted among key opinion leaders that traditional sick leave follow-up processes are not an effective tools for reducing sick-leave causeed by menal health issues – and instead, good preventative measures are needed.

These dynamics put greater demands on leaders to have good approaches to open-dialogue with employees in day-to-day follow-up, structured and co-ordinated practices for sick-leave management and an inclusive attitude to how they organise teams and their work.

Workability: Tools to help leaders implement a culture of workplace welfare and employee follow-up and inclusivity.