London, 19th May 2026 – One in six (16%) UK businesses do not monitor employee absenteeism, according to MetLife UK and YuLife’s Prevention Advantage guide.
Without tracking absence data or spotting early warning signs, businesses can end up firefighting issues rather than preventing them. Looking at the reasons why businesses do not monitor absenteeism, two in five (43%) said it’s because their business is too small to need tracking. Meanwhile, 26% said it’s because it is not a business priority, and a further 14% said tracking absence takes too much time and effort.
Stepping in only once someone’s health has already deteriorated also means recovery is harder and costs more. One in six (16%) business owners said they do not calculate the cost of sickness absence. Yet with the average long-term absence* costing as much as £20,735 per employee, the financial consequences can be significant.
As part of MetLife UK and YuLife’s partnership, the businesses have produced The Prevention Advantage guide to support companies in preventing sickness rather than paying for it.
Together, the companies have delivered a new insurance model beyond GIP, focused on both prevention and recovery to keep people healthier for longer. Powered by daily habits, prevention-led tactics that people engage due to innovative gamified elements can deliver significant financial returns while also building a workforce that is measurably healthier.
For example, for a business size of 25 people, prevention tactics could save a business £3,243 per year in short-term absence costs, or £130 per employee, by encouraging daily wellbeing habits.
MetLife UK data also shows that triggering early intervention support within the first four weeks of an employee developing a health condition results in a 96% return-to-work rate. This is reflected in YuLife’s findings, which show that more than half of users who took mental health-related sick leave returned to work within three months.
Dominic Grinstead, CEO of MetLife UK, said: “Group Income Protection will always have a vital role when sickness strikes. However, the world of work has changed, and one of the most valuable things GIP can do is help prevent absences from happening in the first place. Acting earlier keeps people in work, businesses productive, and the whole system more resilient. Workplace health needs to be a business priority if we’re to keep work working. Together with YuLife, we’ve built a model that actively prevents avoidable illness while continuing to protect employees when they need it most.”
Tal Gilbert, CEO of YuLife, said: “The insurance industry has known for years that employee benefits are not valued when they simply sit unused. What we’ve built at YuLife is something employees genuinely want to engage with: grounded in science, fun, and rewarding. When you embed that inside Group Income Protection, you make the product work long before a claim is ever made. That’s the future of health at work, and with MetLife UK, we’ve made it real. It’s good for employees, good for employers, and good for the nation.”
MetLife UK will be hosting a live webinar on 21 May to explore the workplace health crisis with business journalist and ex-small business commissioner, Liz Barclay.
