Younger employees, aged between 18 and 24, take an average of three more sick days per year than their older peers, according to research by Health Shield Friendly Society.
This age group also took the most sick days for mental health reasons, compared with those aged between 55 and 64 who were found to rarely take time off due to mental health concerns.
The survey also found that 44% of younger employees worried about money every day, higher than any other age group, which might correlate with higher levels of mental health sick days. Nine in 10 respondents said that the cost-of-living crisis was either as, or more, worrying than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Data from Health Shield’s employee assistance programme (EAP) showed that 47% of all calls related to mental health, higher than for any other issue. A quarter (25%) of those calls were from people aged between 20 and 29, compared with 15% from those aged 50 to 59.
Matt Liggins, head of wellbeing at Health Shield, said: “Our survey has highlighted a real concern over the health of the youngest members of the workforce. Those aged 18 to 24 should be in the best of health, yet they are taking significantly more sickness absence than much older counterparts. While it may be that younger people are more willing to be open about their struggles with mental health, saying a lot about progress made by employers to remove traditional stigma, these findings do suggest it is a serious issue that employers should be addressing urgently.
“Finances seem to be a major cause of 18-24 year olds’ mental health struggles. The cost-of-living crisis is affecting them deeply and with prices and interest rates continuing to rise, this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
“It is the responsibility of employers to step up and support all their employees at this difficult time, but it makes sense to focus on those that need it the most. These young people will become the leaders of the future so it’s vital that they build resilience now, helping them to cope with the stresses of modern life.”