After Blue Monday a couple of weeks ago, the first Monday in February continues the theme of dreariness and depression of post-Christmas winter. With freezing temperatures, the days shrouded in darkness, andspring still seeming a long way off,it is hardly surprising that a lot of people are feeling under the weather.

With sick days and reduced productivity because of illness costing UK firms more than 77 billion, there is a clear incentive for employers to put measures in place to ensure a healthy and happy workforce.

The number of days employees take off sick has actually been reducing over recent years, with the ONS reporting that, while staff were absent for an average of 7.2 days per year in 1993, by 2017 this had fallen to just 4.1 days.

Emma Long, Commercial Director, BizSpace explains that there could be a number of factors might be behind this, including improved general health amongst the UK population, but also a growing trend of presenteeism (a feeling of job insecurity amongst staff that leads to a fear of being away from the office or leaving on time) and improved technology, meaning that people are more likely to work from home if they feel unwell than take a day off sick.

Yet, while the statistics appear to be moving in the right direction, they could actually be masking a more serious problem. Our always-on culture means that switching off has become a sign of weakness. Whereas previously people could use the excuse of not wanting to infect others to take the day off and forget about work for 24 hours, the ability to work remotely has led to people staying away from the office but still doing a full days work.

On the surface, this looks like a win for employers, but it could actually be having a negative impact on long-term health. Sick days serve a useful function of giving people a break when they need it most. With no excuse to stop work when dealing with minor illnesses, people might not take the time they need to recover from illnesses, leading to further complications and a negative impact on mental health over the long term.

By focusing on reducing the number of sick days their employees take, companies are failing to take into account the issues of reduced staff productivity and longer term health problems, including mental health issues. In short, to try and reduce sick days is to focus on the wrong thing; employers should instead be aiming to improve the long-term health of their employees.

This could be done in a number of ways.

Flexibility and duvet days

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Battling sick days: boosting workplace health and motivation - Business MattersBusiness Matters