From Absence to Advantage: Connecting Occupational Health to Population Health Across the UK & EU
Executive Summary
Organisations across the UK & EU face mounting pressures to manage employee health proactively.
Absenteeism and presenteeism impact productivity, morale, and financial performance. Our white paper explores how transforming Occupational Health programmes into comprehensive Population Health strategies can drive measurable improvements in well-being and bottom- line performance.
We illustrate this through our case studies, industry research, and a framework for scaling success across sectors.
Key Takeaways:
Proactive OH interventions can reduce the cost of absence by up to 25%.
Early case management prevents long-term absence escalation.
Governance, data visibility, and leadership accountability drive cultural change.
Solutions like HealthNEXT enable scalability and sustained impact.
Our aim: to demonstrate how structured occupational health programmes and early rehabilitation pathways can reduce long-term sickness absence, protect productivity, and enhance worker well-being across industries and regions.
Introduction: Why This Matters Now
The urgency is clear:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the EU, with costs exceeding €210 billion annually.
UK Pension statistics reveal that over 2.5 million people of working age are not in the labour force due to long-term sickness, predominantly in the over-50 age group. The most common conditions are MSK disorders, mental health issues, and CVD.
Only a minority of UK companies have structured rehabilitation policies: recent analysis shows less than 25% actively support return-to-work programmes for employees absent for over 12 months.
Conversations with experts reinforce this: early, proactive rehabilitation prevents escalation to long-term disability. With an ageing workforce and rising chronic disease burden, Occupational Health is no longer an internal service — it is a national policy lever.
2. Policy Landscape: UK, Ireland, & EU
United Kingdom: NHS roadmap for OH modernisation promotes early intervention and preventative health, but uptake by private employers is inconsistent. "Good work" is increasingly recognised as a health outcome in policy circles.
Europe (Case Study - Healthcare Sector): A healthcare sector has reduced absenteeism by 27.9% through structured OH engagement, peer support, and early medical intervention. Monthly case conferences and integrated mental health supports have been game-changers.
Europe (Case Study – Logistics Sector): A logistics company inspired by best practice, structured rehabilitation with milestone reviews at 4, 12, and 20 weeks and the use of ergonomic assessments and MSK prevention programmes reduced long-term cases and future claims-achieving a 6% reduction in absence over a three-month pilot
EU Context:
Fit for Work Assessments:
Company Doctors: France, Germany, parts of Scandinavia.
Government Doctors: Netherlands (doctor confirms attendance only), Belgium.
Hybrid: Nordic countries encourage dialogue between companies and state medical professionals.
Collaboration:
Scandinavian countries lead in structured cooperation between public and private doctors, while in the Netherlands, legal restrictions limit employer insights.
Sick Pay Models:
Employer fully funds sickness absence in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria.
Government-funded models dominate in France, Italy, and parts of Southern Europe.
Recommendation: Multinational employers should not wait for legislation. Proactive early rehabilitation and return-to-work strategies work regardless of local sick pay policy.
3. Case Studies
Healthcare Sector, Europe:
Absence reduction: 27.9%
Innovations: Peer support, CBT access, structured RTW planning, HR-OH collaboration.
Lessons: Real-time data dashboards empower early action. Monthly medical reviews sustain progress.
Logistic Sector, Europe:
Structured RTW reviews at 4, 12, and 20 weeks.
Embedded ergonomic improvements.
MSK programme: reduced pain by up to 48%, referrals down 72%.
Learning from pilot: phased returns, proactive manager contact, alternative duties planning.
6% absence reduction in pilot over 3 months
Cost of absence over € 1 million per % per annum
4. Emerging Best Practices
Early, structured intervention prevents disability pathways.
Cultural transformation: Recognising health is a collective outcome, not an HR compliance task.
Engagement of both leadership and line managers is critical.
Neurodiversity programme showed the value of empowering managers as health advocates.
Expand successes to new geographies.
5. The Business Impact of Solutions
HealthNEXT embeds:
Early identification of risk
Proactive support for managers
Employee-centric health pathways
Real-time data and dashboards
Leadership accountability frameworks
Outcomes:
Reduced absenteeism
Increased engagement
Faster return-to-work timelines
Lower cost of long-term absence
Stronger employer brand
6. Recommendations for Employers
Formalise Early Rehabilitation Pathways: Structured, milestone-based RTW frameworks.
Use Predictive Tools: AI and data dashboards to anticipate absence trends.
Empower Line Managers: Train managers in early signs and engagement.
Foster Cross-Sector Collaboration: Work with insurers, OH providers, and government bodies.
Scale Pilot Programmes: Use learnings from the healthcare and logistics sectors to expand across operations.
Position "Good Work" as a Health Outcome: Align with evolving government health policies.
7. Comparative Occupational Health Models Across Europe
Occupational Health maturity varies across EMEA, influencing uptake and impact:
Northern Europe (e.g., Nordics)
Typical OH Model: Embedded, preventative
Characteristics: Strong legislative frameworks, regular employee touchpoints, data-driven
Western Europe (e.g., Ireland, UK)
Typical OH Model: Growing integration
Characteristics: Increasing focus on early intervention, mixed maturity in SMEs
Southern Europe
Typical OH Model: Reactive/Transactional
Characteristics: Limited access in some regions, employer-driven, without a statutory mandate
Eastern Europe
Typical OH Model: Developing
Characteristics: Low OH penetration, but emerging recognition of value
8. Call to Action
We propose:
A phased roll-out of these strategies across the UK and EU
Weekly momentum calls with leadership to track progress-effectiveness of the fractional Corporate Medical Officer offered by HealthNet
Engaging stakeholders in pilot collaborations.
Our success with the Healthcare and logistics sectors demonstrates that targeted, practical interventions work, reducing absence, improving morale, and protecting long-term workforce health.