Some leaders still think that when employees go off sick with stress, the simplest solution is to replace them.
But here’s the reality; replacing employees is expensive, time-consuming, and disruptive. It’s far more cost-effective to invest in prevention than to pay the price of constant turnover.
I once worked for a company that, towards the end of my tenure, had an alarming rate of revolving door employees. Stress-related resignations were high, and rather than addressing the root cause, leadership took the “they didn’t get it, we’ll just hire someone new” approach. The result? Skyrocketing costs, declining morale, and a workforce constantly playing catch-up.
A study by Centric HR found that replacing an employee costs between 6 to 9 months of their salary. So, for an average UK salary of £29,600, that’s between £14,800 to £22,200 per hire. Add lost productivity and training, and you’re looking at a far more expensive problem than investing in workplace wellbeing.
How Can Businesses Retain Employees Instead of Replacing Them?
Instead of relying on costly replacements, here’s what organisations should be doing:
- Identify and Reduce Workplace Stressors – Conduct wellbeing audits and stress risk assessments to pinpoint the issues pushing people to burnout.
- Improve Line Manager Support – Train managers to spot early signs of stress and have better conversations with employees.
- Offer Real Wellbeing Solutions – Mental health support, flexible work options, and reasonable workloads are key to keeping employees engaged.
- Track and Act on Data – If stress-related absences are increasing, don’t ignore it—treat it as an urgent business risk.
Let’s Talk
The cost of ignoring stress is higher than the cost of preventing it. So rather than accepting stress-related absences as inevitable, let’s fix the underlying problems before employees reach breaking point.
If your organisation wants to stop the cycle of burnout and turnover, let’s have a conversation. Because replacing people isn’t the answer, supporting them is.
#WorldDayOfTheSick #Wellbeing #EmployeeRetention #Stress #MentalHealth #Burnout #WellbeingStrategy #RetentionMatters #OrganisationalCulture
