Workplace sickness

The Northern Ireland office lost an average of 10.3 working days per person in 2012, almost ten times the number lost in the Scottish Office, government statistics show.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has launched a free stress management tool, developed with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), designed to help equip managers with the skills to prevent stress in staff.

Although health at work has increased in recent years, there are insurance risks threatening this trend, a Gen Re conference has heard.

Employees should be encouraged to lead healthy lives through workplace initiatives, Canada Life has said.

Employees around the world are more engaged with their workplace than they have been for years, a study finds.

More than half (51%) of UK workers have suffered from back pain in the last 12 months with one in five needing time off work as a result, research finds.

Three-quarters of employees suffering with stress related problems are able to return to work within six months, according to Legal & General data.

Jelf has urged the government to target tax breaks for workplace healthcare provision at employers and argued such a move could produce an "entire culture shift".

Employing wellbeing strategies in the workplace will backfire if the workforce believe the aim is to get more work out of them Simplyhealth has said.

Employers are failing to get to grips with sickness absence and many are unaware of their current absence levels and the associated costs.