Eight in 10 employees want proactive return-to-work support after illness

Eight in 10 UK employees want their employer to provide proactive return-to-work support following illness, as new research highlights demand for earlier intervention during periods of sickness absence.

Research from L&G found 82 per cent of employees want proactive support from their employer, with 49 per cent saying it should be provided as standard and 33 per cent viewing it as an additional benefit.

The findings come as employers face continued pressure from sickness absence and long-term ill health, increasing the focus on how workplace health and protection benefits can support people before, during and after an absence.

Demand for return-to-work support was consistent across different levels of seniority, with at least seven in 10 respondents at every job level, from manual workers to business owners, saying employer-led support made sense.

However, separate research among employers suggests organisations themselves want more help managing workforce health and absence.

L&G found 94 per cent of employers would value greater support from advisers or insurers around wellbeing and absence management.

Early intervention and return-to-work planning was identified by 44 per cent as an area where they wanted support. The same proportion wanted help communicating benefits to employees, compared with 29 per cent who wanted support navigating different benefit options.

The findings suggest the challenge for employers may extend beyond which health and protection benefits to provide, towards ensuring existing services are understood and used early enough to make a difference.

Vanessa Sallows, Claims & Clinical Development Director – Group Protection at L&G, said: “Employee needs assessments often happen when someone is already preparing to return to work. Many employers are already looking at ways to provide support throughout an employee’s absence. With the right support from vocational rehabilitation clinicians and other specialists, employers can help their employees access practical, personalised support sooner, which can reduce the length of absence and make returns to work more sustainable. We see this reflected year after year in our group income protection return-to-work outcomes, and have done consistently for the last two decades”

L&G published the findings alongside the latest instalment of its Chief Medical Officer report, Keep Britain Working: Absence Management, which looks at how vocational rehabilitation and early intervention can support employees through group income protection.

The report also considers the wider business and financial consequences of employee absence, including its potential impact on retirement savings, and compares the costs of standalone vocational rehabilitation and occupational health services with support available through group income protection.

The findings come as the role of income protection is increasingly extending beyond providing financial support following illness or injury. Policies can also provide access to rehabilitation and other services intended to intervene earlier, support recovery and help employees remain in or return to work.

Dr Tarun Gupta, Chief Medical Officer, UK Protection at L&G, said: “A ‘seize the day’ rallying cry came through loud and clear from independent experts contributing to the latest edition of our Chief Medical Officer report. Income protection, whether individual or group, has evolved, so the conversation needs to evolve accordingly. It’s what UK employees and employers want, as evidenced by our research. The CMO report is designed to support and guide financial advisers to have these important conversations with clients.”

L&G commissioned Opinium to survey 2,000 UK employees, split equally between those working for small and medium-sized businesses and large organisations, between 16 and 29 March 2026.

Separate research was conducted among 1,000 senior decision-makers at UK employers between 16 March and 1 April 2026.