Managing mental health related absences in the UK

Managing mental health absences doesn’t have to feel overwhelming 

Download your free guide now to support your people.

Mental health is now one of the biggest drivers of sickness absence in the UK. The CIPD reports an average of 9.4 days’ sickness per employee, and the HSE reports 16.4 million working days lost in 2023/24 to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. 

This free guide walks you through how to spot early signs, handle absences fairly, support staff back to work, and stay compliant with your legal duties. 

Want to know more? Fill in the form. 

Why this guide matters 

Mental ill health is now a leading cause of both short-term (27%) and long-term (41%) absence. When you don’t handle issues well, you could face: 

• Rising absence costs 

• Team disruption and falling morale 

• Risk of discrimination claims 

• Missed opportunities to support staff early 

This guide gives you the confidence and structure to handle it all calmly, consistently, and compassionately. 

What you’ll learn inside 

Spotting early signs and preventing absence 

How to build trust, open conversations early, and recognise changes in behaviour, performance, and attendance. 

Short-term absence process 

What to do from the first call, how to keep in touch, and how to run supportive return-to-work meetings. 

Long-term mental health absence 

Welfare meetings, occupational health referrals, reviews, phased returns, capability processes, and when to consider next steps. 

Reasonable adjustments that make a real difference 

From flexible working and reduced hours to task changes, support plans, and wellbeing resources. 

When mental health becomes a disability 

What the Equality Act requires, what tribunals look for, and examples of where employers got it wrong. 

Your Health & Safety duties 

Why stress is a risk that must be assessed and how to carry out stress risk assessments properly. 

Fit notes, SSP and pay 

Understanding fit notes, medical evidence, and future SSP changes expected from April 2026. 

Who this guide is for 

This is ideal for: 

• Business owners and managers 

• HR and people teams 

• Anyone dealing with complex or recurring mental health absences 

• Organisations wanting a fair, consistent, people-centred approach  

Download your free guide 

Get practical steps, scripts, templates, and everything you need to manage mental health-related absences confidently. 

Need hands-on support? 

Our HR and Employment Law experts can help you run meetings, update policies, support managers, and protect your business, backed by 24/7 advice. 

Call us on 0345 844 1111 or fill in the form and we’ll get back to you.