The figure for absenteeism is at least £662 per employee, according to Hewitt Associates, although this rises by as much as 60% once indirect costs such as lost productivity, overtime and recruitment are included.

The survey showed that many companies could be underestimating the extent of absenteeism in their organisation because less than two thirds of respondents said they properly record it.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest causes of absence were found to be flu, musculo-skeletal injuries and stress and depression. More than half of employers (56%) stress is an issue in their organisation – but only a third provide stress coaching for managers.

James Kenrick, head of UK corporate healthcare consulting at Hewitt Associates, said: “The report makes it clear that stress is predicted to be the main cause of employee ill-health in the next three years. If the UK economy worsens, stress levels can undoubtedly be expected to rise further, making this the biggest threat to employee health in the UK.”

Hewitt Associates, however, estimate that if employers implement employee wellbeing schemes such as office massage, gym membership or healthy eating programmes, they will see a return on investment of £3 for every £1 that they spend.

Kenrick added: “Reducing absenteeism is the ultimate goal for employers. To achieve this, they need to approach the problem of stress from a total health management perspective. This means collecting quality data on the reasons behind absenteeism and developing a co-ordinated programme to encourage good health in their workforce.”

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Office Massage could play an important role in companies across the U.K. as workers turn to alcohol, smoking and comfort eating to deal with the rising stress of their jobs, warns The Stroke Association and Siemens.

In a joint report, they found almost a quarter of staff (23%) said they would smoke more to deal with stress, while more than a third (34%) said they would drink more.

The worst sector for drinking was marketing, where 59% drink said they were drinking more than usual to combat the stress of their job. Having a masseuse provide regular Office Massage would certainly help, but may be only part of the solution.

The recruitment sector was deemed the most stressful, with 82% of recruitment consultants reporting regular stress. The legal sector followed closely behind with 78% of employees feeling the pressure.

Joe Korner, director of external affairs for The Stroke Association, believes that it is up to employers to do more to encourage staff to de-stress, especially through regular exercise. Otherwise, he warns, there could be dire implications for employees’ health.

Eating more to combat work-related stress was the answer for 43%. Just 13% take exercise to let off steam.

Korner said: “Stress is undesirable and responding to it in the wrong ways, for instance by drinking excessive alcohol, over-eating or smoking, can all lead to high blood pressure which is the single biggest risk factor for strokes. Stress is a major issue for people of all ages, especially those working in stressful occupations.”

For more information about Office Massage or to learn how onsite massage can help combat workplace stress visit www.5minuteangels.com

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