Keeping them
What are employee absences costing your business ?
Money worries cost UK workers 8.4 million working days a year. Only 13% would raise the problem with their employer. Work out what that is worth to your business, then give your staff somewhere to go with it.
Lost by UK employers in a year to absence and lost focus linked to money worries. Cebr for Aegon, 2023
Employee absence costs calculator
What it costs you a year
£78,503
Absence plus the cost of staff at work but not working
Lost focus is estimated by applying the ratio in Cebr's national figures, where staff being at work but unable to work well cost £6.6 billion against £3.7 billion for absence. That is £1.78 for every £1 of absence.
Reduce the absence caused by money and debt worries
We can set up a free financial wellbeing benefit for your staff. There is no cost to your business. Tell us about your team and we will arrange it.
Presenteeism costs more than absence
Presenteeism is when someone comes into the office but cannot concentrate. You pay for a full week and get about three days of work.
Cebr put the cost of money worries to UK employers at £3.7 billion a year in absence and £6.6 billion in lost focus. That is almost twice as much.
Only 13% of workers say they would raise money worries with their employer.
We have set out the full figures on staff absence and money worries, including what absence costs a firm of 20 staff against one of 60. More on keeping what your business earns in Save tax and Grow profit.
What money worries cost UK employers a year
Absence, which shows in your records
Lost focus at work, which does not
Combined
Source, Cebr for Aegon, Financial wellbeing and productivity, 2023. Bars are scaled against the lost focus figure.
What the research says
Research by the CIPD, Pepper Money and WEALTH at work. See the figures in full.
What your staff get
A financial education platform used by UK employers. We can set it up for your team at no cost to your business.
A closed AI money guide
Staff can ask money questions at any time and get answers in plain English. It is a closed AI, so what they ask stays inside it.
Short courses
CPD-accredited courses on budgeting, debt, mortgages, pensions and protection. Staff take them at their own pace.
Forecasting tools
A budget planner, savings goals, a mortgage calculator and a retirement forecaster.
A qualified adviser
A free first consultation with an adviser in an FCA-regulated network, for decisions such as a mortgage or a pension.
What it costs your business
How it is paid for
The provider is paid by its partner firms when someone later chooses to take a regulated product, such as a mortgage, protection or an investment, through its adviser network. Nothing is sold to your staff.
What you can see
You see anonymous, combined figures, such as how many staff have joined and which topics come up most. You do not see what any one person has asked.
Setting it up
We arrange the introduction. The account is created for you, your staff are invited, and the messages that introduce it to them are written for you.
How it works
Four steps from sending us your figures to your staff using it.
-
Send us your figures
Use the form above. Tell us how many staff you have and we take it from there.
-
We make the introduction
We check it suits your team size and set up a 15-minute call. There is no obligation.
-
Account set up
The account is created and your staff are invited.
-
Staff use it
Staff use it when they need it. You see combined usage figures only.
Set it up for your team
It is free to your business and there is nothing for you to manage.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out what absence costs my business?
Multiply your number of employees by the average days missed, then multiply by the daily cost of one employee. Daily cost means pay plus employer National Insurance and pension divided by working days, with cover or overtime added if you pay for it. The calculator on this page does the arithmetic.
What is presenteeism and why does it cost more than absence?
Presenteeism is when staff are at work but unable to work well. Cebr estimated the cost of money worries to UK employers at £3.7 billion a year in absence and £6.6 billion in lost focus from people who were present, so the larger share never reaches your absence records.
How many sick days do UK employees take a year?
The CIPD and Simplyhealth put the average at 9.4 days per employee in 2025, the highest figure in more than 15 years. It was 7.8 days in 2023 and 5.8 days in 2022. That is 4.1% of working time lost. The year by year figures are in our guide to staff absence and money worries.
Is money stress really a cause of sickness absence?
Stress is named as a main cause of absence by 64% of organisations. Of those, 57% put a non-work factor such as financial concerns among the top three causes of that stress. Money is one of several causes. No research makes it the main one.
Is it a public AI like ChatGPT?
No. It is a closed AI built for money questions. What staff ask stays inside it and is private to the person asking.
Is the AI guide giving financial advice?
No. The AI guide is education and guidance only. Regulated advice comes from qualified advisers in an FCA-regulated network, and the first consultation is free.
Does it work for a small team?
Yes. It works for teams of one to ten people as well as larger firms. Once it is set up, there is nothing for you to manage.
How do I get it for my team?
Get in touch and we will introduce you. We handle the introduction, confirm it suits your team size and set up the first call.