Britain’s £212 Billion Sickness Crisis

“GROWTH HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT,” SAYS FORMER JOHN LEWIS BOSS

More than 250 of the UK’s biggest employers join a national push to get the UK back to work and small businesses say it’s about time.

Britain is sitting on a £212 billion economic goldmine which is buried under workplace sickness.

Sir Charlie Mayfield, former John Lewis chair, says tackling long‑term illness and getting people back into work is the fastest way to boost the economy without building a single house or opening the door to more immigration.

More than 250 major employers who agree, including Tesco, British Airways, Royal Mail, Sainsbury’s, EDF Energy, Currys and some government departments, have signed up to his Get Britain Working taskforce.

Their mission is to stop people falling out of work due to ill‑health and help those already signed off to return safely and confidently.

PEOPLE ARE DISAPPEARING FROM WORK

Sir Charlie says the system is broken and he’s talked to numerous people who have been off sick and not had any contact from their employer.

It’s not because bosses don’t care, but because firms have sleepwalked into a culture where no one talks to each other when they really need to, resulting in:

• rising long‑term sickness

• record numbers out of work

• soaring welfare bills

• collapsing productivity

• small businesses drowning under staff shortages

IT COSTS £212 BILLION A YEAR

Official figures show long‑term sickness and unemployment linked to ill‑health cost the UK £212bn every year.

That’s money lost in:

• welfare payments

• NHS pressure

• reduced tax receipts

• lower productivity

• lost skills

• stalled growth

For small and micro businesses already battling tax hikes, inflation and staff shortages this is a crisis hitting every corner of the economy.

TRACK SICKNESS LIKE WE TRACK SALES

The companies signed up will now track:

• sickness absence

• return‑to‑work outcomes

• disability participation

For the first time ever, workplace health performance will be visible rather than hidden in HR spreadsheets or ignored until it becomes a crisis.

Ten mayoral authorities including London and Manchester have joined too.

SOME EMPLOYERS CAN’T AFFORD THIS

Some firms warn that tax rises mean they simply don’t have the money to invest in workplace health. Others fear pushing ill people back into work too soon. Sir Charlie says this isn’t about forcing people. It’s about supporting them and fixing the system, so people don’t fall out of work in the first place.

THE POLITICS

With Andy Burnham widely expected to become prime minister later this month, pressure is mounting to reduce the welfare bill, now forecast to hit 23.6% of all government spending next year. Sir Charlie says his plan could make a really big contribution to getting the economy working better for employers, for employees, and the taxpayer.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is basically growth hiding in plain sight. For small and micro business owners for whom  every employee absence could take the business down, this could be transformational.

The UK’s sickness crisis is costing billions, crushing productivity and leaving small businesses short of people and overstretched. The solution proposed isn’t complicated and is practical:

• talk to people

• support them

• help them stay in work

• help them return safely

• track what’s happening

• fix the system

This isn’t about pushing sick people to get back to work before they’re ready. It’s about not abandoning them. If Sir Charlie and his supporting taskforce are right, tackling workplace sickness could be the fastest, simplest way to unlock the growth the UK has been missing for years.