Employee absence is thrusting further stress on to staff left behind who have to cope with the workload of those off sick, according to new research.
It found that many companies are neglecting their employees' workplace health and are unaware of what programmes are available.
The survey of 100 human resources managers by Bupa, revealed that over half (51%) believed staff absenteeism was putting additional stress on employees left holding the fort.
Almost two thirds (63%) said other employees had to pick up the extra workload and a third (31%) were taking on additional overtime.
Just under half (44%) of all respondents said that (excluding private health insurance) their company did not have a workplace health programme in place for all employees, such as an absence case management or psychological support and coaching system.
A third said the primary barrier to investing in workplace health was a lack of awareness about what schemes were available (31%), with a fifth (22%) citing a lack of awareness of where to focus resources to improve health within the organisation (22%) and a similar number (18%) saying previous attempts to promote health within the workplace had failed.
Prior to the release of the Sickness Absence Review earlier this week, 25% of respondents said they were not yet aware of it with less than half (43%) of those who knew about it saying their company welcomed it.
Alex Perry, director of healthcare provisioning at Bupa said: "It is important that employers provide sufficient support to help people who are unwell get better and to return to work when they are able.
"However, while many companies know that there are potential benefits to investing in workplace health, one of the biggest barriers for employers is understanding how and where to invest in order to receive the most benefit.
"We support the aims of the independent Sickness Absence Review which sets out to help employers better manage sickness absence within the workplace," he added.
