Recent figures have revealed that 120,000 people are currently classified as ‘long-term sick’ in Northern Ireland.[i]
The figure from the latest Northern Ireland Labour Market Report, published in March 2025, marks an increase of 4,000 people (3.2%) in just one year and a rise of 17,000 since pre-pandemic levels in 2020.
One key contributor to rise in long term absence may be work-related stress, which along with anxiety and depression, were to blame for half of all work-related ill health in 2023, according to the HSE’s Labour Force Survey. Their research found employees affected by these conditions took an average of 19.6 days off work, placing increasing pressure on businesses and the economy.[ii]
How Work Well Live Well Can Help
One way local employers can take action is through our free ‘Work Well Live Well’ programme. The programme which is delivered by NICHS and funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA) aims to help workplaces improve their employees' health and wellbeing through personalised support. The programme supports organisations to develop a bespoke 3-year action plan and strategy for their workplace as well as providing access to training, webinars, resources and networking opportunities, all completely free of charge.
Success Story - Stepping Stones NI
Stepping Stones NI, an award-winning charitable organisation which empowers individuals with barriers to learning and employment and people with learning disabilities to thrive in life and work, availed of the free support to prioritise the health of their staff. A number of staff have completed training to become ‘Health Champions’, gaining skills to create and implement a three year health and wellbeing action plan.
Ashley Bolton, Employment Officer at Stepping Stones NI, says, “At Stepping Stones NI, my role is about increasing staff engagement and ensuring the quality of everything we do, and it was timely when the Work Well Live Well came across my inbox as I had recently started in this new area.”
“We signed up and took part in the Health Champion training. We are still early in the process but the programme has had a really positive impact already. As part of our Action Plan, we have introduced initiatives including placing health posters on toilet doors and throughout the office, and creating a health focused email newsletter for staff each month tied into upcoming and current health awareness days. The first one we did was about sleep, and included links to podcast and other resources for more information, and to make it real, we invited staff to come into work on Friday in their pyjamas!”
“Similarly for World Happiness Day, our Marketing Executive went out around the different sites and recorded a video for our social media with staff members about what makes them happy. We even had one member of staff do his part in Russian.”
“It’s great because it gets staff opening up the conversation, and talking about their health. For example, when we had the pyjama day, even staff who didn’t take part were still speaking and chatting about sleep, about sleep patterns, healthy habits and so on, so it gets everyone thinking about their health which is the most important thing. We should be talking about it, being conscious of it, of changes in our bodies or about making healthy habits.”
She adds, “The programme has been brilliant in supporting our long term strategy which is really about that pillar around increasing staff engagement, increasing staff retention and becoming an employer of choice. In Stepping Stones NI, there is already so much in place in terms of benefits for the employees, but this is just another thing that sets us apart from other employers. Working in a support role can be very hard work, it can be mentally and emotionally draining, and in these sorts of jobs it can sometimes be all about the service users and supporting the staff is forgotten about. This programme ensure staff feel looked after as well. Plus, it brings some fun to the office – yes, it's vital at work that you put your head down and get the work done, but we can also have these initiatives in place that allow us to have some craic, look after our health and wellbeing and feel appreciated for your hard work.”
To other businesses considering signing up, Jenna says, “Do it! We would recommend the programme to any other organisation, particularly if you are looking to improve your profile and boost recruitment. Having trained Health Champions within your employees looking after staff wellbeing an having rewarding initiatives like these in place will help put you above other employers. I actually recommended it to another organisation which thought their staff was too big to get involved, but they were able to avail of support, so get in touch with the team at NICHS even if you’re unsure if you’re eligible – don’t miss out!”
What Our Team Say
Rebecca Hawkins, Workplace Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator at Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke says; “These statistics are startling. Individuals may need to take sick leave for a wide variety of reasons, and in some cases it is unavoidable. However, the workplace can have a huge impact on people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and we want employers to know that there are steps they can take to help. The free Work Well Live Well programme which we deliver, funded by the PHA, helps workplaces gain training and skills, and get access to personalised support and guidance from our team, so they can take practical steps to support the health and wellbeing of their workforce. As a charity, creating healthier workplaces also helps us reach towards our wider goals of promoting healthier families and communities across Northern Ireland.”
“Stepping Stones NI is a great example of a workplace which wanted to make a positive change and put staff health first. The initiatives put in place by the staff so far have been a great success and have made a real difference to the health and wellbeing of the team.”
“We are now recruiting new workplaces in the Southern, South Eastern and Northern Trusts to take part in the programme and would encourage organisations of all types and sizes to get in touch to find out how Work Well Live Well can help them.”
For more information and to register for Work Well Live Well, visit nichs.org.uk/workwelllivewell
[i] Northern Ireland Labour Market Report, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency -
https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/economy-and-labour-market/labour-market-report-march-2025.html
[ii] HSE Labour Force Survey - LFS - Labour Force Survey - Self-reported work-related ill health and workplace injuries: Index of LFS tables
