The proportion of organisations now focusing on employee well-being as a means of tackling increasing absence levels and costs has soared over the last year, according to a new survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The CIPD annual Absence Management survey of more than 800 organisations, reveals employee well-being has recently climbed up many corporate agendas as a critical area of action, with 42% of organisations saying they have implemented a well-being strategy, compared to just 26% for the previous year.

The survey findings indicate that 60% of organisations in the public sector now have a well-being strategy compared to 42% last year with also a dramatic increase in the private services sector (37%) compared to 22% for the previous year.

On average, organisations spend 5.4% of their paybill on employee well-being benefits and 42% of organisations indicate that this will increase further next year. Ben Willmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, comments: “The report shows employers are increasingly recognising the benefits that can be gained by supporting employee well-being.

“It is becoming more and more evident that organisations are starting to manage employee health rather than sickness, not as a standalone well-being strategy but as an integral part of an overall well-being programme.