When Employee Well-being Becomes a Business Problem: Why Companies Need to Act Before It Hurts

11 minutes ago
5 min read

by Tara Ryder, Therapist

As a well-being therapist and positive mindset coach, I speak to businesses that genuinely care about their people. They want their employees to be happy, healthy and productive. They want a positive workplace culture. They want to reduce sickness absence and retain good people.

But increasingly, I’m seeing businesses facing a difficult reality: employee well-being problems are becoming business problems too.

Often, by the time they become visible in the form of absence, poor performance or people leaving, the underlying problem has been there for much longer.

The hidden cost of employees who aren't well

The latest UK figures make uncomfortable reading.

According to the CIPD’s 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work research, employees are now taking an average of 9.4 days of sickness absence per year - the highest level recorded in more than 15 years. Mental ill health is the leading cause of long-term absence, with 41% of organisations citing it among their top three causes.

The Health and Safety Executive reports that 964,000 workers experienced work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, resulting in an estimated 22.1 million working days lost.

Then there is the cost that doesn't necessarily appear on an absence report.

Someone who is physically present but mentally exhausted.

Someone who is struggling to concentrate.
Someone who has lost confidence.
Someone who is overwhelmed but doesn't feel able to say so.
Someone who is doing their job, but operating at a fraction of their potential.

Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs UK employers around £51 billion a year, with presenteeism - people working while unwell and not performing at their full ability — accounting for around £24 billion of that cost.

So when we talk about employee well-being, we're not simply talking about whether people feel good. We're talking about people, performance, absence, retention, culture and ultimately the health of the business.

The problem with waiting until someone is struggling

One of the biggest challenges I see is that well-being can become reactive.

Someone becomes stressed.
They take time off.
Their workload is redistributed to colleagues.
Their manager becomes concerned.
HR gets involved.

The employee eventually returns, but perhaps the underlying issues haven't really changed.

Then the cycle begins again.

Of course, businesses need appropriate support for employees who are already experiencing mental or physical health difficulties. But I also believe there is a huge opportunity to do more before people reach that point.

The CIPD is increasingly highlighting the importance of a proactive approach to workplace health and wellbeing, rather than simply responding once someone becomes unwell.

For me, this is where company wellness can make a real difference.

Well-being isn't just about reducing absence

I think sometimes workplace well-being gets reduced to a list of benefits.

A well-being day.
A fruit bowl.
A gym membership.

An employee assistance programme.

While these can all have their place, I believe well-being needs to go deeper.

People need tools.

Tools to manage stress.
Tools to recognise unhelpful thought patterns.
Tools to build confidence.
Tools to develop resilience.
Tools to understand their own needs.
Tools to create healthier boundaries between work and home.
Tools to look after their mental and physical well-being before they reach burnout.

That's where my work comes in.

Why I focus on mindset as well as the body

I called my business Mindset & Body Therapy because I believe the two are closely connected.

How we think can influence how we feel.
How we feel can influence how we behave.

How we're feeling physically can affect our mindset, confidence, concentration and ability to cope with pressure.

In the workplace, this can show up in many different ways.

An employee may be constantly worrying.
Another may struggle to switch off after work.

Someone else may have lost their confidence following a difficult period.

A team may be experiencing high levels of pressure and stress.
A manager may be struggling to support their people while dealing with their own workload.

These aren't always problems that can be solved with another policy or a generic online well-being resource.

Sometimes people need personal, practical and human support.

The pain of getting it wrong

For businesses, the consequences can be significant.

When employees aren't well, managers can spend increasing amounts of time managing absence and performance issues.

Teams can become stretched when colleagues are off.
Workloads increase.
Morale can suffer.
Good employees can become disengaged.

When people repeatedly feel that they're struggling without enough support, they may eventually decide to leave.

This creates another cost for businesses: recruitment, on-boarding, training and the loss of experience and knowledge. And there is another side that is harder to measure.

I don't believe we should wait until people reach breaking point before we start talking about well-being.

Creating a culture where well-being is normal

For me, the ultimate goal of company wellness isn't to make employees responsible for fixing everything themselves.

It's about creating an environment where wellbeing is normal, accessible and supported.
It's about giving people permission to talk about stress.
It's about helping employees understand their own mindset.
It's about encouraging healthier habits.
It's about giving managers better awareness.

And it's about making support available before a problem becomes a crisis.

The good news is that businesses are increasingly recognising this.

The CIPD's 2025 research found that 74% of organisations say health and wellbeing is on senior leaders' agendas, showing that wellbeing is becoming much more firmly established as a business priority.

And there is a compelling business case too.

Deloitte's research found that, on average, employers receive around £4.70 in improved productivity for every £1 invested in supporting the mental health and well-being of their workforce.

But for me, the most important return isn't a number. It's seeing someone feel more confident.

Seeing an employee learn how to manage their stress.
Seeing someone who has been overwhelmed start to feel more in control.
Seeing a team become more open about wellbeing.

And ultimately, seeing people feel that their employer genuinely cares about them.

Your people don't have to become another business problem

I believe businesses have an opportunity to move away from simply managing sickness absence and towards actively supporting employee well-being.

It doesn't have to be complicated.

It doesn't have to look the same for every business.

And it certainly shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all solution.

That's why I offer tailored company and employee well-being programmes, combining positive mindset coaching with practical well-being and therapeutic support designed around the needs of your people and your organisation.

If you're an employer, business owner, HR professional or people leader who wants to take a more proactive approach to employee well-being, I'd love to talk to you.

Let's create a healthier, more resilient workplace - before well-being problems become business problems.

Statistics referenced from the CIPD, HSE and Deloitte. Figures reflect the latest published research available at the time of writing.