Reduce Staff Sick Days: 5 Proven Strategies to Boost Employee Health and Immunity
- Steph Ley (BSc, DipION, mANP, mGNC)
- Oct 4
- 25 min read
Looking to boost employee health and reduce sick days in your organisation? Forget tighter absence policies or return-to-work meetings. The most effective strategy for reducing your sickness absence rates lies in getting to the root of the issue: supporting the health and immunity of your employees.
This comprehensive guide reveals five evidence-based strategies that can improve the health and immune resilience of your team, resulting in fewer days in bed and more alive, vibrant staff when they are at work.
Immune-boosting initiatives could be the most powerful HR tool you use this quarter (that your competition probably isn't using!).
Table of Contents
Strategy 1: Fuel Your Team's Health & Immunity Through Strategic Office Nutrition
Strategy 2: Breathe Easy - Harnessing The Immune-Boosting Power Of Nature
Strategy 3: Stop Obliterating The Bugs - Rethinking Workplace Hygiene
Strategy 4: From Stagnation to Strong - Get Your Team Moving For Better Health
Strategy 5: The Rest Revolution - Why Downtime Reduces Days Staff Are Ill
The Reality Check: You Have More Control Over Your Staff's Health Than You Think
Think you have no control over whether your employees get ill? Think again.
From the air quality in your office environment to how your team spends their lunch break, and even the food served in your canteen, you have far more influence over your staff's wellbeing than you might realise.
As someone who's worked extensively with UK businesses to transform their workplace wellness, I've seen firsthand how simple environmental and cultural changes can dramatically reduce staff sick days.
The companies I work with aren't just seeing healthier, happier teams—they're seeing genuine cost savings and strategic advantage.
Smart changes to the workplace environment nudge immune resilience and wellbeing in ways that have a real impact on your absence statistics and your bottom line.
The Hours That Matter Most
Let's start with some facts: your employees spend over half their waking hours at work five days a week. Many consume more than 50% of their daily food during work hours—whether that's breakfast at their desk, lunch in the canteen, or those endless meeting biscuits.
How you structure their work environment can have a profound impact on their health, immune system resilience, and consequently, the number of sick days they take each year.
Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health shows that poor immune status directly correlates with increased sick leave.
And I'm sure you've noticed it yourself—some employees seem to catch every bug going while others rarely take a sick day.
The difference? Overall health status has a massive impact on immunity, and this is something everyone can improve.
When employees are in poor health—particularly with compromised gut health—they become more susceptible to common colds and flu, which are the main reasons people stay off work.
But when your staff have strong immunity, healthy gut microbiomes, and good metabolic health, they're far more likely to stay well and productive.
The Real Cost of Those Sick Days
Let's talk numbers. Nationally, sick leave rates in the UK have increased by 55% since 2019, and this is translating to rising costs incurred by businesses every month that too often gets overlooked.
Sick days are thought to cost businesses on average £781 per employee per year.
In reality, this is likely to be even higher when you factor in indirect costs such as lost productivity, replacement costs, administrative burden, and the knock-on effects on team morale and project deadlines.
The latest published figures by the UK government show the average employee takes 4.4 sick days per year, with that increasing to 4.9 days on average for women and 6.3 days for those in the 50-64 age bracket.
What Are Sick Days Really Costing YOUR Business?
The national averages are one thing, but what about your specific organisation?
Whether you're managing a team of 20 or 200, understanding the true financial impact of sick leave is the first step towards making a compelling business case for employee wellness initiatives.
Sick Day Cost Calculator
Try out our sick day calculator to get an idea of how much sick days is costing your organisation and how much you could save by implementing some of these initiatives.
The Business Case for Boosting Employee Health & Immunity
As you can see from the calculator above, even modest improvements in staff immunity can deliver significant savings. Helping each employee avoid just one sick day per year adds up quickly.
But this isn't just about cost cutting. It's about creating a thriving workplace culture where people feel energised, supported, and genuinely well.
The strategies that follow aren't just good for your bottom line—they're good for your people. And when your people thrive, your business thrives.
Why Some Employees Are Always Ill (And Others Never Are)
Before we dive into solutions, let's understand the problem. You've probably noticed it yourself – there's always that one person who seems to catch everything, and another who never takes a sick day.
From my experience as a corporate nutritionist, the employees who are constantly ill typically exhibit things such as:
Compromised gut health from poor diet, stress, or previous antibiotic use
Chronic low-level inflammation from processed foods, stress or environmental toxins
Poor sleep quality affecting immune system repair & function
High long-term stress levels that suppress immune function
Sedentary lifestyle reducing lymphatic drainage and circulation
Nutrient deficiencies particularly vitamin D, zinc, and B vitamins
The employees who never get ill? They usually have the opposite: strong gut health, good stress management, quality sleep, regular movement, and nutrient-dense diets.
The brilliant news is that you can influence almost all of these factors through workplace policies and environmental changes.
5 Effective Ways To Improve The Health of Your Staff:
Strategy 1: Fuel Your Team's Immunity & Health Through Strategic Office Nutrition
I’m not bias or anything(!) but this is where I believe you can make the biggest impact to reduce the number of days staff are ill, and honestly, it's something so few businesses are focusing on.
Why Food is Your Secret Competitive Weapon Against Sick Days
Certain foods have been scientifically proven to enhance immunity and reduce the likelihood of succumbing to cold and flu viruses.
Foods like garlic aren't just flavour enhancers—they contain compounds like allicin that have genuine antimicrobial properties.
Parsley isn't just a pretty garnish—it's absolutely packed with vitamin C and other immune-supporting compounds.
But here's what most businesses do instead: they stock vending machines with ultra-processed snacks, provide a plate full of biscuits at every meeting, and wonder why their team crashes at 3pm and they get calls each morning from someone off sick.
The Current State of Office Food
From working with UK businesses of all sizes, let me paint a picture of what I see in the average UK office food environment:
Breakfast: Instant porridge sachets loaded with sugar, or nothing at all
Vending machines: Crisps ("sharing size"), overpriced chocolate bars, and fizzy drinks
Meeting snacks: Biscuits, pastries, and a token banana
Canteen: Processed sandwiches, chips, and UPF-laden "healthy" options such as bread
Office kitchen: Instant coffee by the kettle, 5 jars of Branston pickle in the fridge, and if you're lucky, some bruised fruit on the side!
Is it any wonder people are constantly getting ill?
How to Actually Nudge Your Team Towards Healthier Immune-Boosting Foods
Create a Complimentary Immune-Charging Breakfast Bar
If you know me, you'll know how much I love breakfast. I think it is the prime opportunity to start as you mean to go on and load up on nourishing healthy foods that are going to energise and nurture your body throughout the workday.
Unfortunately, so many people are getting it wrong with the "dessert-for-breakfast" mindset.
Give your staff a helping hand in moving away from the gut-destroying, metabolism-blasting cereals and UPF toasts by providing them with an attractive, free breakfast buffet to help them start their day right and pack in those natural immune boosters before work has even begun.
Even the wellness sceptics can't not get on board with free brekkie!
Try These:
Kefir and (proper) Greek yoghurt—packed with probiotics that support gut health and immune function (70% of our body's immune cells are located in the gut)
Fresh berries—blueberries, raspberries, blackberries are antioxidant powerhouses that fight inflammation and reduce oxidative stress that can weaken immunity
Quality nuts and seeds—walnuts for omega-3s, pumpkin seeds for zinc, flax seeds for fibre. This added protein and natural fats may help prevent blood sugar spikes that stress the immune system
Real oats—not instant sachets, but proper whole rolled oats (organic preferable) that contain beta-glucan which have been shown to 'wake up' the immune system
Revolutionise Your Fruit Bowl
You know that sad fruit bowl with bruised apples and brown bananas that rarely gets topped up? Well, it's kind of sending the message that fresh, healthy food isn't a priority.
Mix up that office fruit bowl and refresh it at least weekly with fruit that is in season right now. When you work with nature's timing, not only are you offering beautiful variety throughout the year (probably at lower cost), but the nutritional content will be significantly higher.
Mother nature has your back—there's a reason those blackberries packed full of antimicrobial polyphenols burst into life before cold and flu season!
Try to link with local suppliers and growers if possible. It's surprising how much fruit is grown locally—farmers tend not to be too great about shouting about it!
You could also nominate a 'Berry Important Person' to pick up the best-looking fruit at your local market each week.
Seasonal Examples:
Autumn: Apples, pears, blackberries
Winter: Oranges, satsumas, pomegranates (vitamin C powerhouses)
Spring: Strawberries, cherries (when they naturally ripen)
Summer: Berries, apricots, figs, plums
The Weekly Wellness Drop: Staff Veg Box Deliveries
Since I've started to get my weekly veg box from my local farm (Sandy Lane), I have genuinely seen my vegetable intake probably double!
Having a plethora of fresh, seasonal, and organic veg arrive on my doorstep every Thursday means I have to use a lot every day to prevent any going to waste before the next bounty arrives. It's a genuine challenge I'm proud to say I conquer pretty much every week!
Why not try this for your teams? Instead of those arbitrary M&S gift vouchers for Christmas, try teaming up with local farms to provide weekly vegetable box deliveries to employees' homes. You could try it with a trial group and see how they get on.
You may spark some interesting Slack chat about what to do with that whole fennel or yellow courgette that has just arrived on everyone's doorstep!
Why This is Brilliant:
When fresh, local produce lands at their house every week, they can't help but cook with more vegetables!
It supports local agriculture and reduces environmental impact
Employees save money on food shopping (gifting wealth and health!)
Delivering health to their families too!
Build a Better Lunch: Stock Your Fridge for Health & Success
Encourage staff to really pack in the immune-boosting nutrition into their meal at lunchtime by providing nutritious add-ons.
Whether they are grabbing a sandwich from the local café or reheating food from home, providing them with an appealing array of colourful, fresh, nourishing food to go alongside this is a great way to encourage them to supercharge their lunch.
When healthy options are visible, accessible, and appealing, people naturally gravitate towards them. Just make sure people use the right etiquette in putting them back neatly in the fridge (there's always one)!
The Essentials:
Cherry tomatoes—lycopene for immune support, also make a nice easy mid-afternoon snack
Leafy greens—rocket, spinach, watercress. Can't think of a lunch which couldn't do with a bit of extra greenery on top!
Fermented foods—probiotic-rich sauerkraut or kimchi go great alongside salads or in sandwiches and rice dishes
Quality hummus—look for brands using olive oil, not sunflower oil. Gives a nice hit of added protein and zinc which helps regulate immune responses
Fresh herbs—grow pots of parsley, coriander, basil on windowsills. Each leaf is packed with immune-boosting goodness and can be sprinkled on salads, soups, curries, pasta, and more!
Colourful vegetables—peppers, radishes, cucumber are all easy to prepare and can be eaten alongside pretty much any meal
Turn Your Canteen Into Your Top Wellness Weapon
If you have a canteen, you have a great opportunity to make a real difference to employee health. Work with your food providers to introduce immune-supportive menu items that are really going to appeal to staff.
Consider offering a 'dish of the season' and really make the most of immune-supportive seasonal ingredients that Mother Nature offers.
You could also subsidise certain menu items to give staff added incentive to try them.
Displaying the health benefits of these menu items could also help educate staff and encourage them to take control of their own health and make choices that will support their wellbeing.
Here are some ideas:
Introduce "Immune Boost" Menu Items:
Curries featuring prebiotic garlic and onions that gut bugs love to feast on, alongside anti-inflammatory turmeric and immune-awakening mushrooms
Bone broth soups contain glycine and glutamine that beautifully nourish the gut lining (a key defender against pathogens)
Immune-supporting stews such as red lentil, sweet potato, and chilli for a capsaicin immune kick
Complimentary fermented vegetable sides with every meal such as turmeric sauerkraut or pink pickled ginger
'The Green Defender' Smoothie: I'm talking kefir base, loaded with spinach, kale, kiwi, ginger, and pineapple for a vitamin C, anti-inflammatory bomb!
Golden milk lattes with 100% coconut milk, turmeric, and ginger
Up your herbal tea game with the likes of elderberry, rosehip, fresh mint, or orange, honey, and lemon
Monthly Curry Club: Your Undercover Office Immune System Upgrade
This initiative is great for those teams who are not interested in your standard wellness rhetoric (the ones who probably won't be opting for the wheatgrass immune-boosting smoothie!)
Trialling a monthly curry club could be a great way for teams to come together whilst inadvertently nourishing their bodies with so many powerful herbs and spices.
For example, the first Monday of each month could see people swapping Tupperware of their favourite signature curries they've made at home.
You could even create a team recipe book to share, making sure you include lots of ingredients that will 'spice' up their immune systems such as turmeric, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and black pepper.
Not only is homemade curry absolutely brilliant for immune system support, creating a social eating culture around healthy food and cooking is also super powerful.
Why Curry is an Immune Powerhouse:
Turmeric: Powerful anti-inflammatory properties
Garlic and onions: Antimicrobial compounds and prime food for your gut microbiome
Black cumin, cardamom, coriander: All have immune-regulating properties
Lentils and legumes: Prebiotic fibres that feed beneficial gut bacteria
Reduce The Hidden Immune Destroyers
Whilst it is worthwhile adding in all these opportunities for employees to eat healthier, more supportive foods, if your vending machines, cafés, and cupboards are still flaunting UPF biscuits, pastries, and crisps, you may struggle to notice a real difference in employees' health.
As unpopular as it may be for some employees, these UPF foods are not doing their immune systems any favours.
The emulsifiers and preservatives in processed foods can seriously damage gut health, which directly impacts immunity. Excess sugar suppresses immune function for hours after consumption.
Consider making some swaps that will help boost employees' immunity and not blood sugar.
Simple Swaps That Make a Big Difference:
Vending machines: Replace crisps with nuts, dried coconut chips, and olives, and swap chocolate bars for dark chocolate (70%+ cacao) or energy bars made from simply nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate
Meeting snacks: Seasonal fruit and nuts instead of biscuits and pastries
Canteen options: Take a look behind the scenes at what UPF ingredients may be being used. Switching to non-UPF bread options for sandwiches could be a good place to start
Office treats: Switch to healthy office 'treats' such as beautiful sushi platters or fancy cheeses (a bit of truffle brie beats a Krispy Kreme any day IMO)!
Knowledge is Power: Empowering Staff to Take Control of Their Health
As they say, you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
You could implement all the lovely nutrition initiatives above, but if staff don't understand how eating these different foods is genuinely going to help them feel better and reduce their chances of succumbing to those winter bugs, then the likelihood is they'll just stick to their daily sausage roll.
Food environment changes only work if people understand why they matter. Most people want to eat better—but sometimes they need a clear understanding of the 'why' behind it and motivation to embed new healthy habits.
From my work running various nutrition workshops on immunity, I've seen firsthand the difference it can make when someone has the lightbulb moment, linking what they are choosing to eat with how their body feels.
Sometimes it just takes this bit of education to gift people with that inherent incentive to make different food choices that are actually going to support their health. This is why I love what I do!
Practical Education Ideas:
Immunity workshops: An engaging way to inspire employees to start making real-life changes that are going to nourish their immune system, giving them the resilience and power to actually swerve those bugs and diseases
Recipe cards in the office kitchen featuring immune-boosting ingredients
Seasonal eating posters explaining what produce is at its peak for providing its powerful phytonutrients
"Ingredient spotlight" emails—monthly focus on one immune-supporting food with ideas of how to incorporate more of it in their workday
Lunch and learn webinars about nutrition and immunity are great to offer to hybrid teams with lots of employees working remotely
Need a helping hand from our nutritionist? Check out our immune-boosting nutrition workshops as a great way to get ahead on your sick-day slashing mission and gift your team the knowledge and motivation to make therapeutic changes to their diet that last.
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" — Hippocrates
Why not start by sharing this video with your team!
Strategy 2: Breathe Easy - Harnessing The Immune-Boosting Power Of Nature
Most desk-based employees spend their entire 8-hour workday within four walls, breathing recycled air that's been through who-knows-what filtration system. Is it any wonder we all feel a bit sluggish and keep catching whatever's going around the office?
We Weren't Built For An Office: The Importance of Fresh Air and Immunity
Natural sunlight exposure is crucial for vitamin D production—and vitamin D deficiency is linked to increased susceptibility to a whole range of infections. You should be aiming for a minimum of 20 minutes of direct sun exposure on your skin every day (even more in the winter months).
Similar to sunlight, even fresh oxygen can be somewhat elusive on a typical workday. Often, the only "fresh air" staff get comes from brief walks to and from car parks.
However, fresh oxygen improves cellular function and helps the body's natural detoxification processes. Recent studies have also shown how oxygen has a key role to play in the antiviral innate immune response.
Winter illness patterns aren't just about "cold weather"—they're about less vitamin D production, more time indoors with circulating pathogens, closed windows, and stale air.
How to Actually Improve Your Office Air and Light Environment
Open Those Windows (Yes, Even in Winter)
This sounds stupidly simple, but it's one of the most effective things you can do for a variety of reasons.
Remember during the pandemic we were told to keep our windows open? The government advised that "Bringing fresh air into a room and removing older stale air that contains virus particles reduces the chance of spreading respiratory infections."
Fresh oxygen improves brain function, immune activity, and energy levels, while air circulation reduces airborne pathogens. Natural humidity regulation also prevents the dry air conditions that make you more susceptible to respiratory infections.
Try:
Have at least 2 windows open on each floor to create a circular flow of fresh air
If in the colder months everyone is getting a bit chilly, you could try just opening them for 10 minutes every hour or so
Checking that any trickle vents (small vents usually on the top of a window) or grilles are open and not blocked.
Making Outdoor Time Part of Your Workplace Culture
You really want to optimise the amount of time staff spend outside each day. Getting exposure to sunshine, fresh air, and nature are hugely beneficial ways to nurture a strong immune system.
You want to make it as easy and appealing to employees as possible.
It is also important that managers act as positive role models, so start making a few tweaks to your workday to incorporate more time outdoors.
Here are some ways to help do this:
Fresh air breaks: Encourage staff to step outside, even for a few minutes to take some deep breaths and reset. Remember when half the office used to do this every hour to have a cigarette? People made time for it then!
Walking meetings: Reconsider whether certain phone calls or one-to-ones could work whilst walking outside
Create an appealing outdoor space: Make an outdoor space where employees want to hang out—consider comfy seating (hammocks?!), outdoor heaters, herb gardens, and zen lighting!
Implement a "No lunch at desk" policy: Create a cultural shift where it is expected you will step away from your desk at lunch, get fresh air, recharge, and eat mindfully—don't forget, change often has to come from the top
Offer fun al fresco lunchtime activities: Running clubs, outdoor yoga, qi gong in the park, or a weekly rounders match are all good ways to naturally give staff the opportunity to not only move their bodies at lunch but get fresh air circulating around them too!
Bring the outdoors in with air-purifying plants: Consider gifting each employee an indoor plant for the start of the new year. The likes of pothos, spider plants, and snake plants are easy to care for and will help improve the air quality of your workspace
Strategy 3: Stop Obliterating The Bugs - Rethinking Workplace Hygiene for Stronger Immunity
This strategy might be the most controversial, but stick with me because the science is fascinating and the implications for workplace health are huge.
The Hygiene Paradox
Our obsession with obliterating every microbe in sight could actually be weakening our immune systems. Research published in Microorganisms shows that excessive use of hand sanitisers can lead to gut dysbiosis—disrupting the very microorganisms that support our immunity.
The increase in allergies and autoimmune conditions correlates strongly with increased use of harsh cleaning chemicals. There's even evidence that children who engaged in behaviours like thumb-sucking (exposing them to more environmental microbes) and playing with pets developed fewer allergies later in life.
Has Your Office Gone Too Far?
Walk into most offices and you'll find:
Hand sanitiser stations at every entrance and corridor
Industrial-strength cleaning chemicals used daily
Surfaces wiped down with antibacterial products multiple times a week
A general attitude that all bacteria and microbes are dangerous
But here's the problem: we need exposure to environmental microbes to maintain a healthy, diverse microbiome. Our immune systems need "practice" to stay strong, and we need our own microbiome intact!
By constantly obliterating any bug in sight, we are most likely damaging many of the highly beneficial bugs we are playing host to. The very bugs that help maintain a healthy gut barrier to keep out pathogens, the ones that produce anti-inflammatory compounds, and the ones that outcompete harmful bacteria.
How to Find the Right Balance of Bugs In Your Workplace
Reduce hand sanitiser dependency: You don't need a sanitiser station every five metres. Let's return to old-school practices and trust that proper handwashing with soap will do the job
Use gentler cleaning products: Research in Environmental Chemistry Letters indicates that harsh disinfectants can cause more harm than good to human health, particularly with regular exposure. You could even try making your own simply with white vinegar, water, and a few drops of tea tree or lavender essential oil
Create an office vegetable garden: Getting hands dirty in soil exposes us to beneficial soil-based microorganisms that can actually strengthen our immune systems. Plus, you'll be getting all the benefits of fresh seasonal veggies!
Fermented food workshops to introduce people to beneficial microbes, why they are a great addition to our diets, and why we don't need to fear all bugs!
Check out our range of workplace nutrition workshops
Strategy 4: From Stagnation to Strong - Get Your Team Moving For A Fired-Up Immune System & Better Health
"Sitting is the new smoking" isn't just a catchy phrase—it's backed by solid science that should genuinely worry anyone managing a team of desk workers.
Sitting for long periods is the most common health and safety risk that no one seems to be talking about.
Why Movement Matters for Health & Immunity
Research published in Sports Medicine shows that increased physical activity can significantly strengthen immune system function. But it's not just about getting people to the gym—it's about understanding how our immune system needs our bodies to be naturally moving more throughout the day to operate optimally.
Lymphatic System Support: Unlike your cardiovascular system, your lymphatic system (part of your immune system) doesn't have its own pump. It relies entirely on muscle contractions to move immune cells around your body. When people sit for hours without moving, their lymphatic system becomes sluggish, making it really challenging for immune cells to circulate where they need to.
Circulation and Oxygenation: Movement improves blood circulation, delivering oxygen and vital nutrients to cells while removing waste products more effectively. Better circulation means better immune function.
Stress Hormone Regulation: Regular movement helps regulate cortisol levels. Chronically elevated cortisol suppresses immune function, making people more susceptible to infections.
Studies demonstrate a clear inverse relationship between moderate exercise and illness risk—more movement genuinely equals fewer sick days.
The Current State of Office Movement (Spoiler: There Isn't Any)
The average office worker:
Sits for 8+ hours per day
Takes fewer than 3,000 steps during work hours
Goes hours without standing or stretching
Has limited opportunities for movement during the workday
Often feels too tired or unmotivated to exercise after work
Is it any wonder we're constantly getting ill, experiencing back pain, and struggling with energy crashes?!
How to Get Your Team Moving (When You're Not Their PT)
Implement Hourly Movement Breaks
Ideally, you want staff to be moving at least once every hour at work. This could just be going to the kitchen to fill up their water bottle, walking to another colleague's desk on another floor, or simply standing and doing some stretches.
Here are some ways to help make it systematic, not just good intentions:
Leadership participation: Managers must visibly participate. Sending prompts on team chats (e.g., "If you're reading this, get off your bum!") and initiating a few stretches at the start of meetings can be a good start!
Apps that work: Stretchly, Time Out, or Wellnomics can work well for employees who like using tech to be reminded to take a break and move
Smart reminders: Calendar blocks every hour for movement, or if you prefer pen and paper like me, simply writing 'move' as part of your to-do list can remind you of your good intentions
Fitness trackers: Some companies subsidise these for the inactivity alerts alone
Meeting breaks: Build 5-minute movement breaks into long meetings—not only good to get lymph pumping but great for energising tired minds
Transform Your Lunch Break Options
For so many people, the norm is to just grab a sandwich and sit at your desk whilst either continuing to work or scrolling articles online.
This "sit, scoff, and scroll" approach isn't doing anyone's immune system any favours.
There is a great opportunity in everyone's lunch break to encourage employees to step away from screens, move, and refuel.
Active Lunch Break Options:
30-minute fitness classes leaving time to eat afterwards (this timing is crucial), and don't forget to consider online classes for those working remotely
Walking or running groups for different fitness levels
Team challenges: Who can get the most steps in during their lunch break?
Remove barriers: Provide changing facilities and secure storage
Instructor quality: Invest in good teachers who understand workplace constraints
Variety: Rotate options to prevent boredom
After Hours Wellbeing: Subsidise Exercise Outside Work Hours
This is about making healthy choices the easy choices even outside of work.
Many people want to move more and understand the benefits, but it is about making it as easy and attractive for every body as possible.
Otherwise, it is all too easy to clock off work and replace the desk and computer screen with the sofa and TV screen.
Popular Options:
Gym memberships: Negotiate corporate rates at your local gyms
Class passes: For things like yoga, Pilates, HIIT, barre, boxercise, martial arts
Outdoor activities: Rock climbing, hiking groups, canoeing, cycling clubs
Sports leagues: Company teams in local leagues
Alternative activities: Trapeze, country dancing lessons, or fencing!
Team socials: Swap your usual Friday night drinks for frisbee in the park or a bit of urban golf!
Active Meetings and Work Practices
Sitting still for long stretches of time is such an unnatural state for us to be in 'at work'. By making some small adjustments to the workplace and having various options on offer can help naturally weave in ongoing movement throughout the workday.
This is where you can make movement part of the work culture rather than an add-on.
Standing meetings: Start your morning huddles with gentle stretches or remove the chairs from your next brainstorming session to get people moving around
Walking meetings: One-to-ones can work well while walking (and can actually make them less intense) as do certain phone calls that require more creative problem-solving
Active workstations: Offer staff different ergonomic options for their workspace to encourage 'active sitting' such as:
Standing desks
Exercise balls
Under-desk ellipticals or bikes
Provide private spaces: Offering dedicated movement rooms can be great for those who feel a bit self-conscious. These could have things such as exercise mats, music, uplifting quotes, and weights and could be booked out for private use throughout the day
Strategy 5: The Rest Revolution - Why Downtime Is Your Secret Sick-Day Health Weapon
This strategy is so much more powerful than many businesses realise, and it's definitely the one a lot of organisations get wrong.
We live in a culture that glorifies being constantly busy, always available, and never switching off.
Many workplace cultures seem to perpetuate this, encouraging constant availability with emails answered at all hours and meetings booked over lunchtime.
But if we aren't careful, the natural outcome of this is employees who are chronically stressed, exhausted, and constantly getting ill.
The Stress-Immunity Connection (It's Huge)
Chronic stress is one of the biggest immune system suppressors we know about. When cortisol levels are consistently elevated:
Sleep quality deteriorates (when immune repair happens)
Gut health suffers (where 70% of immunity originates)
People make poor food choices and skip exercise
If your office culture inadvertently encourages constant stress and never switching off, you're directly contributing to increased sick days. It's that simple.
Discover Our Effective Stress-reduction Corporate Nutrition Workshop:
'What To Eat When There Is Too Much On Your Plate'
How to Create a Culture That Actually Supports Rest
Set Clear Work-Life Boundaries (And Mean It)
This isn't about putting a statement in your employee handbook—it's about active cultural change that starts from the top.
Practical Boundary Setting:
No email expectations outside core hours (and actually stick to this). Including these (non-)expectations in your email signature is a nice reminder
Leadership modelling: Managers must visibly disconnect after hours. If you're sending emails to your team on a Sunday night, it kind of hints that you are expecting them to log on
Delayed send features: Use email scheduling to avoid sending messages outside work hours. Sometimes it is at 11pm at night that you can grab a bit of thinking space, but scheduling the messages to land the next day puts zero pressure on people to respond outside of work hours
Response time expectations: Make it clear that immediate responses aren't expected
Meeting-free periods: Block out times when no meetings can be scheduled. A lot of organisations I work with have meeting-free Fridays, giving everyone a bit of time to catch up before the weekend
The "Right to Disconnect" Policy: Some companies are implementing formal policies that give employees the right to ignore work communications outside designated hours. This isn't just nice—it's becoming legally required in some countries, and it appears the UK may not be too far behind.
Gift Employees "Wellbeing Days"
Most businesses still treat days off like an inconvenience rather than a vital part of maintaining a healthy workforce.
Why not actively offer staff 1 or 2 days off work to do something that supports their wellbeing?
This could be anything from going on a long walk for the day or simply having a "duvet day" and having a whole day to rest, no responsibility, guilt-free.
You could even offer to subsidise this with vouchers for things such as massages, reiki, retreats, or cold plunges!
Benefits include:
Preventative rest: Encourage people to take days for self-care before they get ill
Mental health days: Destigmatise taking time off for psychological wellbeing
Showing rest is important: By offering these days, you are actively signalling that rest and relaxation is as important as output and productivity
Prevent long-term sickness absence: By giving employees the chance to take a proper break 'guilt-free' on the first signs of a cold/flu (when they'd otherwise power on through), you are lowering the odds of that employee taking extended time off from it developing into a full-blown infection
In-tune with their health: By offering these days as an option, you can hopefully encourage staff to be more in tune with their bodies, knowing they can take the appropriate time for self-care as needed
Transform Your Reward System
Most workplace rewards are actually counterproductive for health—sugary treats, UPF 'goodies', alcohol-focused events, or gifts that add to people's to-do lists rather than helping them relax.
Rewards That Actually Support Wellbeing:
Spa and massage vouchers instead of alcohol or sweets
Outdoor experiences: Walking tours, garden visits, nature-based activities
Relaxation packages: High-quality candles, aromatherapy oils, luxurious bath salts
Time-based rewards: Extra holiday days or flexible working arrangements
Learning experiences: Workshops on stress management, meditation, or sleep optimisation
The Importance of Micro-Breaks
Not only is it important to encourage staff to rest and recharge out of work, it is also important that they are being encouraged to take plenty of micro-breaks throughout the day at work.
This gives their bodies time to decompress and for cortisol levels to lower, rather than waiting until the end of the day to 'crash'. Remember, stress and immune health are not best buddies!
By incorporating short, regular breaks, you lower stress hormones like cortisol, which helps prevent the immune system from being constantly suppressed.
By reducing physical and mental fatigue, micro-breaks improve circulation, increase oxygen intake, and boost positive emotions, which are all factors that support a healthy body and, by extension, a robust immune system.
How to Encourage Staff To Take Micro-Breaks:
End meetings and calls with reminders: At the end of any meetings or video calls with your team, remind them to take a short breather before they start the next task
Beautiful breakout areas: Create some really relaxing, beautifully designed break-out areas that are going to lure staff away from their desks. I'm talking relaxing music, herbal teas, and mood lighting!
Be the change: If staff see you getting up from your desk regularly, you are giving them permission to do the same
Schedule meetings for 5 past the hour: Instead of 10am catch-ups, make it 10:05am and explain you expect them to be taking a little break before they attend!
Equip them with the right tools: It may be worth investing in some mindfulness workshops, desk yoga, or breathing exercises so they have tools to draw on to feel extra motivated and to get the most benefits from their micro-breaks
Your Action Plan: Where to Start For Healthier Staff
As you can see, in reality there are many nudges you can make to your teams to help shift them along the wellness continuum. Even if you start off really small with a new selection of immune-boosting herbal teas in the office kitchen—little things can soon all add up to create a workspace that is fully supportive of strong immune health.
When implementing any of these strategies, I would recommend involving your team and empowering them with the knowledge and tools alongside them. By giving your employees the knowledge of why certain things are good for their wellbeing, they are more likely to get on board with it, and their mindset will be aligned with positive health.
This could be something as simple as a message that goes round explaining why the windows will be being kept open or something like a nutrition workshop teaching staff how they can boost their own immune system naturally through trying new meal ideas.
Quick Wins to Start This Week
Low Cost, High Impact:
Open windows regularly for fresh air circulation
Replace meeting biscuits with seasonal fruit and nuts
Schedule hourly movement reminders
Add immune-boosting herbal teas to the kitchen
Medium Investment:
Stock the office fridge with immune-supportive foods
Create an appealing outdoor break space
Subsidise gym memberships or fitness classes
Introduce "wellbeing days" for preventative rest
Partner with local farms for veg box deliveries
Bigger Initiatives:
Transform canteen offerings with immune-boost menu items
Provide free breakfast bars with probiotic-rich options
Install standing desks and active workstations
Implement formal "right to disconnect" policies
The Bottom Line
Reducing staff sick days isn't about policing absence—it's about creating an environment where employees can genuinely thrive.
When you boost employees' health and immunity through these five proven strategies, you're not just cutting costs; you're building a resilient, energised, and engaged workforce.
The businesses that prioritise employee health aren't just doing the right thing—they're gaining a genuine competitive advantage. Healthier employees mean:
Fewer sick days and lower absence costs
Higher productivity and creativity
Better employee retention
Improved workplace morale
Stronger business performance
The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in employee health—it's whether you can afford not to.
Need Help From a Specialist?
If you want a jump start to getting your teams healthier and reducing sick days, why not arrange a free mini consultation with our corporate nutritionist who can help you identify the most powerful immune-boosting wellness initiatives that could work for your specific organisation?
Ready to boost employee immunity and slash your sick day statistics? Get in touch today to explore how workplace nutrition workshops can transform your team's health.
Have you tried anything that has helped reduce the amount of days your employees are off ill? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
About the Author
Steph Ley is a qualified corporate nutritionist and founder of The Nutrition Advantage. She holds a BSc in Business Management & Leadership (First Class) from Exeter University and a Nutritional Therapy Diploma NTDC (Distinction) from the renowned Institute of Optimum Nutrition.
Steph is a registered member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP) and the General Naturopathic Council (GNC).
With expertise spanning nutrition science and business leadership, Steph specialises in translating complex nutritional research into practical workplace wellness strategies. She has worked extensively with UK businesses to reduce sickness absence rates and boost employee health through evidence-based corporate nutrition workshops, webinars, and tailored wellness programmes.
Her approach centres on empowering organisations to create healthier workplaces where employee wellbeing isn't just a tick-box exercise, but a strategic advantage that delivers tangible results in reduced sick days, increased productivity, and improved team morale.
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