Influenza (flu) is one of the most common causes of sickness and absence in the UK, and is a significant contributory factor in the impact an employer experiences with regards to sickness and absence. An employee being absent results in productivity costs, in that the everyday workflow is disrupted, meaning operations aren’t as efficient with people being missing and other people having to cover certain tasks. Ultimately, this is a drain on resources and leads to a cost on the bottom line for most businesses.
According to the Office of National Statistics, in 2024 there were 148.9 million working days lost in the UK due to illness or injury. This amounts to 4.4 working days for each UK worker, which is actually down 0.5 days from 2023 but 0.2 days above its 2019 level. “Minor illnesses” was the most common cause of sickness absence in 2024, and for the third year running. This accounted for 30% of sickness absence in 2024, which is the equivalent of 44.67 million working days. Minor illnesses are followed by musculoskeletal problems at 15.5%, “other” conditions at 15.1%, mental health conditions at 9.8% and respiratory conditions at 7.3%.
Average period of absence for a person with flu
Under the banner of ‘minor illnesses’ is included coughs, colds, flu, nausea and diarrhoea. There is no data to specifically target how much sickness absence can be directly attributed to flu, because of reporting methods detailing the exact cause of absence being unreliable, but it is generally considered that flu is one of the most common types of ‘minor illness’, due to its historic annual prevalence in the UK and the fact that its symptoms are often more debilitating than the other illnesses included in that bracket.
When a person contracts flu it is estimated that they are absent from work for an average period of 2-3 days. This is when the most severe flu symptoms are experienced, and after this time a person is less likely to transmit the virus onto somebody else. However, even if a person returns to work after three days of absence due to flu, there is a good chance their performance levels and productivity will not be 100%. It can take several days for a person to resume full performance in terms of focus, awareness and physical attributes.
It is also estimated that 60-80% of people who contract flu will continue to work. It is true that flu can affect some people worse than others, while some strains of the virus are not quite as debilitating in terms of symptoms. An employer could welcome an employee responding in this way and may view it as a form of dedication that is commendable, or as a sign that their workforce are loyal, engaged and motivated to work in any circumstances. However, there is still a high risk of transmitting the flu virus if a person is at work while having contracted it. Even though they themselves may be experiencing only mild symptoms, they could transmit the virus to a vulnerable person, or someone with underlying health conditions, who could then suffer much more serious symptoms. So even if 60-80% of people continue to attend work with the flu virus, an employer should not encourage this, and in the interests of public health and their duty of care to the entire workforce, any employee with flu should be recommended to stay at home and off work.
The most effective way to prevent flu transmission with FluClinic2U
An employer can reduce outbreaks of flu in the workplace by promoting hand hygiene and ensuring a healthy workplace by introducing commercial cleaning programmes. They can also improve air quality by installing air conditioning to regularly replenish the working environment with fresh, clean air, and flushing out stale air that could be contaminated with the virus. But by far the most effective way to prevent flu outbreaks and to reduce absenteeism caused by flu, is to introduce a programme of on-site flu vaccinations. A business can be viewed as a responsible employer if they deliver corporate flu vaccinations, which work to reduce outbreaks of flu and prevent transmission at source. Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees and to safeguard their health and wellbeing, and workplace flu clinics are an effective way of doing this. According to Government data, vaccinations prevented between 96,000 and 120,200 hospitalisations in the UK due to flu in 2024.
On-site flu vaccination is a way to educate employees on the benefits of vaccination using trained and qualified personnel, while this form of workplace flu jabs programme is a cost-effective method in terms of fast and convenient vaccination which minimises disruption and maintains productivity. At FluClinic2U our mobile units can protect your employees from the very latest strain of the flu virus and at the most effective time. People are much more vulnerable to contracting flu in the winter months, so you can be proactive in reducing sickness and absenteeism directly related to flu, by booking an on-site flu vaccination programme today.
