- 25+ Years Experience
- Family-Run
- Free 30-Min Discovery Call
- 25+ Years Experience
- Family-Run
- Free 30-Min Discovery Call
By the HR experts at MJV Consulting – With over 40 years combined experience supporting small and medium-sized businesses across Sussex, Surrey, and London. Since 2016, we’ve supported small businesses in Sussex, Surrey and London with forward thinking HR strategies designed to support your growth.
Introduction
It is widely acknowledged that workplace absences are increasing and in this weeks blog we take a closer at some of the reasons why and what employers across Sussex and Surrey need to be aware of.
Maintaining a thriving, engaged workforce has never been straightforward, but recent years have brought fresh challenges. Stress-driven absence continues to escalate throughout businesses in Sussex and Surrey, creating significant headaches for HR teams and business leaders alike.
Recent findings from the Health and Wellbeing at Work Report (CIPD) discusses that stress as the primary driver of extended absence, with mental health-related sickness showing a sharp upward trajectory.
For business owners, this translates to operational disruption, diminished productivity, and heightened burnout risk amongst already pressured teams.
At MJV Consulting, our work across with family run businesses, Independent Schools and the Property sector, confirms with this emerging trend.
The evidence is compelling: employee wellbeing has evolved from an optional extra to an essential element of your HR and compliance framework. We see it when a business takes employee wellbeing seriously that absence cases decreases, overall employee engagement is given a boost, and company performance levels improve as well.
What’s driving this trend, and how should employers respond?
The Importance of Mental Health First Aid Support
Absence data often reveal far more than surface-level illness. Those recorded sick days attributed to “general illness,” “exhaustion,” or “migraines” frequently mask deeper mental health concerns.
With people data analysed from the HR System, it is apparent that work-induced stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression consistently rank amongst the leading reasons employees take time away from work.
Burnout is very real and we are seeing and hearing about more burnout cases in our day to day work. Are you and your line managers actively keeping an eye on how frequently your team are taking time away from the office? For example, in the Breathe HR system there is a fantastic burnout monitor tool that operates on a traffic light based system that highlights the top 10 employees on the radar for it being too long since they last booked any annual leave.
According to 2024 data, over 875,000 workers suffered work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, representing more than half of all health-related absence days.
For HR professionals and organisational leaders, this extends beyond wellbeing it is becoming a genuine business concern. Elevated absence impacts productivity, intensifies pressure on remaining staff, and can trigger disengagement cycles.
Left unaddressed, it erodes workplace culture and accelerates staff turnover.
As HR specialists in Sussex and Surrey, we consistently advise clients that absence data from their HR System such as Breathe serves as a powerful people analytical tool which every business owner should be utilising. Take the time to examine what lies beneath the statistics, work with your HR team or HR Consultancy to understand the data. Rising stress-related absence typically signals declining team resilience, demanding intervention before escalation.
How seriously is your business taking workplace wellbeing?
When wellbeing falls by the wayside, consequences spread throughout your organisation. Employees lacking adequate support or facing excessive pressure become disengaged, error-prone, and ultimately leave.
Replacing staff costs time, resources, and morale, particularly in today’s competitive labour market.
There’s also a frequently overlooked compliance dimension. The Health and Safety at Work Act requires employers to safeguard employees’ physical and mental wellbeing. Inadequate workplace stress management or insufficient support could expose your business to legal consequences.
Additionally, tribunals increasingly factor mental health considerations into constructive dismissal and discrimination proceedings.
The reputational impact runs deeper still. Today’s job seekers prioritise employers demonstrating genuine commitment to wellbeing. A poor reputation for employee care deters talent and damages your employer brand.
We’ve guided numerous organisations through cultural transformation by positioning wellbeing within their compliance structure. When HR and Health & Safety teams collaborate effectively, tracking absence data, mitigating risks, and communicating transparently, outcomes prove consistently impressive.
How local businesses can introduce practical steps to support your teams
Tackling increasing absence and stress doesn’t demand immediate wholesale change. Success often begins with modest, sustained actions delivering lasting impact.
Work with your HR Team or HR Consultant on an Absence Management Policy
Your absence policy needs depth beyond simple sickness recording. It should outline employee support before, during, and following absence, incorporating return-to-work discussions, workplace adjustments, and frank conversations regarding stress and workload. A transparent, consistent approach ensures equity and enables early pattern recognition.
Better Stress Awareness Indicators
Early stress identification makes prevention considerably easier. Train line managers for supportive, open dialogue and to recognise burnout indicators like withdrawal, irritability, or performance decline. Employees seek help more readily when they trust their employer will respond without judgement.
Provide Line Managers with Essential Skills through regular Training
Managers have pivotal responsibility for wellbeing support. Provide them with capabilities to navigate challenging conversations, comprehend legal duties, and recognise when HR or occupational health involvement becomes necessary. At MJV Consulting, we routinely deliver customised management training covering mental health awareness, absence handling, and compassionate performance management.
These represent fundamental leadership capabilities, not merely soft skills.
Cultivating a Wellbeing-Focused Culture
Policies and processes matter, but sustainable transformation occurs when wellbeing becomes culturally embedded. This begins with leadership.
When senior leaders openly discuss mental health, champion work-life balance, and demonstrate genuine care, they establish a compelling precedent. Employees take notice. A culture built on trust and transparency diminishes stigma and encourages early help-seeking.
Implement Meaningful Wellbeing Initiatives
Initiatives needn’t be elaborate or expensive. Straightforward, consistent measures like:
These straightforward actions reinforce that wellbeing matters daily, not just during awareness campaigns.
Integrate Wellbeing into Your HR and People Strategy in 2026
At MJV Consulting, we recommend that our clients (where possible) view wellbeing as an investment in employee engagement as well as, compliance and performance. Incorporate it within your HR strategy, track outcomes, and assess progress. Connect your wellbeing objectives with core HR indicators including absence rates, turnover, and engagement metrics.
When wellbeing becomes integral to business operations rather than an afterthought, you’ll witness tangible, quantifiable improvements in attendance, morale, and retention.
Looking Ahead for 2026
Employee wellbeing isn’t a temporary trend for a few months– it is now viewed as a business fundamental. As we approach 2026, businesses across Sussex, Surrey and London should recognise the vital link between wellbeing, engagement, and compliance. That’s where a local HR Consultancy like MJV Consulting can help.
At MJV Consulting, our HR specialists partner with businesses to manage absence effectively, champion mental health at work, and build cultures where people genuinely flourish. Whether you’re updating your absence policy, developing manager capabilities, or creating a wellbeing strategy, our team guides you throughout the journey.
Do you need support managing absence and strengthening wellbeing in your business?
About MJV Consulting
MJV Consulting provides specialist HR support to Surveyors, Architects and Property Management companies in Horsham, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and Guildford. We offer retained HR services, compliance audits, policy development, and HR systems implementation, helping businesses manage their people effectively without the cost of full-time HR staff. Contact us at www.mjvconsulting.co.uk or 01403 916727 to discuss how we can support your business growth.
If you’d like to discuss your HR challenges or explore how we can support your business, contact us at MJV Consulting on 01403 916727 or email us at info@mjvconsulting.co.uk. We’re here to help small businesses across Sussex, Surrey and London build teams that thrive.
