The link between absence & engagement: What HR needs to know
In this article, we explore the relationship between absence and engagement. Here’s what HR needs to know to tailor their employee engagement strategies to counteract, and even reduce, high absence rates.
Key findings between engagement and absenteeism
As we’ll see in this blog, multiple studies suggest a strong link between employee engagement and absence.
The more engaged employees are with their work and their employer, the fewer sick days they are likely to take.
Gallup research, for example, consistently shows that organisations with higher engagement levels see a 41% reduction in absenteeism among employees.
Similarly, further research also found that high employee engagement results in 37% lower absenteeism compared with employees with lower engagement, yet again backing up how important it is for employees to be invested in the company they work for, and the job they are doing.
How do high absence rates undermine engagement?
Low engagement and high absence rates can be a vicious circle, as one feeds into the other.
Here’s a few ways that high absenteeism can damage engagement:
Morale & work overload
Frequent absences within a team or department can add workload pressure onto non-absent coworkers, in turn lowering morale, increasing stress, and making engagement harder to sustain.
Workplace culture & health
A poor psychosocial safety climate (PSC), which refers to a high-stress environment, with a limited number of resources and a lack of support, has been linked to increased sickness absence and decreased engagement. In fact, poor psychosocial safety climate can lead to up to 43% more absence and a 6% drop in engagement amongst employees.
Lost productivity & financial costs
Absenteeism costs employers significantly. In the UK, the cost of absence may well rise, given the proposed changes to Statutory Sick Pay in April 2026.
Disengagement also adds a significant cost to organisations. In fact, Gallup estimates that approximately US$9.6 trillion could be added to the global economy if the world’s workplace was fully engaged – the equivalent of 9% in global GDP.
Why do employee engagement strategies matter?
To be clear on why employee engagement strategies are important, and how they can improve business outcomes, organisations need to identify what engagement really looks like in the workplace.
It is closely tied to employee satisfaction – but it is not simply how happy or satisfied employees are with their job, it’s about aligning employees’ purpose, performance, and empowerment to do their best at work every day.
That means focusing in on clear performance management initiatives, providing employees with the tools they need to do their job, setting clear expectations, fostering positive relationships, and providing a continuous flow of learning and development opportunities.
By doing this, organisations will be approaching engagement as a real business strategy and yielding the rewards from it.
A focus on employee engagement = better business outcomes
By prioritising employee engagement, employers can expect to see tangible improvements in many areas of the business. So what are those improvements?
Commitment and loyalty
Engaged employees are more likely to consistently show up to work with energy and motivation. Highly engaged workforces experience 78% less absenteeism and 14% higher productivity. Engaged workers are also more likely to stay with their employer, resulting in smaller staff turnover for many organisations.
Customer service and success
Employees that are engaged in their customer-facing roles are more likely to provide a better service, contributing to organic growth, customer retention and better customer relationships. Higher engagement shows 10% increased customer loyalty and 18% better sales productivity.
Profit
Ultimately, all of these business outcomes mentioned bring about better profitability for organisations. From lower absenteeism to higher productivity, successful employee engagement strategies can help drive 23% in overall profitability.
Conclusion
There’s a clear link between engagement and absenteeism. A lack of engagement means a higher chance that employees will take more unplanned absences – putting added strains and costs on the rest of an organisation.
To address engagement, organisations need to go deeper than an annual engagement survey as a tick-box exercise. It requires a strategy that aligns employees with their roles more closely – finding ways to give them better resources, scope for learning, development and upskilling, and purposeful work. The business outcomes that are possible as a result of this approach speak for themselves.
