Three in 10 workers with back pain are thinking of quitting their jobs because of a lack of support from their employer, research has suggested.
Twenty-seven per cent of workers have experienced back pain in the past year, while 16% have experienced muscle pain as a result of their work, according to a survey of 4,000 people by employee health plan provider Simplyhealth.
Four in 10 people with back pain said that not having access to physiotherapy through their employer has contributed to their back issues, while two in 10 UK workers – including those without back issues – said having physiotherapy as an employee benefit would make them happier and more productive.
Back pain is not the only issue contributing to employees’ consideration of whether to give up work. Almost seven in 10 (68%) workers report suffering from wider health problems at work, and Simplyhealth estimated that almost six million are considering quitting their jobs as a result.
It found that employees cumulatively take almost 19 million days off because of physical health problems, including eight million days for back pain, six million for dental issues and 4.5 million for eye health.
Back pain at work
Study: tool encourages workers to self-manage back pain
Twenty-five per cent with a health concern said their employer has not been supportive in managing their pain.
Health concerns differ based on industry. Back pain and other muscle pain were most common among those working in retail (33% and 22% respectively) and healthcare (37%,19%).
Healthcare workers were also the most likely to experience migraines (19%) and depression (17%). Anxiety was highest in healthcare workers (37%) followed by education and retail (both 35%).
Claudia Nicholls, chief customer officer at Simplyhealth said: “We all need to do more to support people to stay well at work, particularly when getting access to healthcare remains a key issue for many. We are seeing record numbers of workers on long-term sick leave and billions lost to the economy through sick days each year. ”
More than a third (36%) of organisations do not offer support such as a healthcare plan, employee assistance programme or private medical insurance. Finance and IT workers were the most likely to have access to health support, while agriculture and retail staff were the least likely.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Managers indicated that they would like to do more to support employees with health concerns, but 46% have not had any relevant training and 39% do not know how to signpost employees to the services and benefits their organisation offers.
Among the employees who have experienced mental health challenges, 61% said they wanted their managers to be able to direct them to mental health support, with 24% stating that counselling would make them happier and 21% stating it would make them more productive.
