Working While Sick Is Costing You Billions (Plus the AI Crisis No One's Talking About)

New data on the sick leave culture problem and the £400B AI opportunity slipping away

November 11, 2025

Inside This Issue:

We're heading into cold and flu season, which means you're about to see the annual spike in presenteeism, employees dragging themselves into work (or worse, "working from bed") when they should be recovering.

New data shows this cultural quirk is costing UK companies £24 billion annually in lost productivity, but the bigger issue is what it signals about workplace trust and psychological safety.

Meanwhile, on the AI front, we've got a bifurcated workforce crisis: 77 percent of AI users are operating in the shadows with unsanctioned tools, while 42 percent still won't touch AI at all.

Both groups share a common thread—they're not using the expensive, sanctioned AI you've deployed. Add to that a talent pipeline problem (under nine percent of graduates are AI-ready) and a promising breakthrough in feedback analysis, and you've got a full plate.

Let's unpack it.

The biggest threat to your productivity this quarter isn't absenteeism, it's presenteeism. Employees working while sick, often at drastically reduced capacity, are draining UK employers of an estimated £24 billion annually.

The hybrid work era has made this worse, with people mistaking "working from home" for adequate rest when they're actually prolonging their illness and infecting their performance.

The fix isn't complicated: clarify sick leave policies, lead by example (senior leaders must visibly take time off when unwell), train managers to spot early signs of burnout, and invest in wellbeing programs that demonstrate genuine commitment. The simplest interventions are often the most effective—if you're willing to actually implement them.

The UK's ambition to add £400 billion to its economy via AI by 2030 is being actively sabotaged by a workforce adoption crisis.

Despite massive corporate investment, new research from WalkMe reveals a two-speed disaster: 77 percent of AI users are secretly using unsanctioned tools (Shadow AI) because official systems don't work well enough, while 42 percent of employees refuse to touch AI at all. T

The common denominator? Both groups report that sanctioned AI doesn't make them faster, doesn't provide help when they need it, and requires "advanced IT skills" to use safely—a perception that's completely false but pervasive. Sixty-one percent think you need technical expertise to use AI effectively.

The problem isn't the technology; it's that you've deployed tools without change management, training, or workflow integration. If you want ROI, stop treating this as an IT project and start treating it as a human enablement challenge.

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The Extra Point

Your "Innovative" Tools Might Be Creating Friction, Not Flow

Here's a question worth asking yourself: when was the last time you personally used the AI tools, collaboration platforms, or digital systems you've rolled out to your workforce? Not in a demo. Not in a training session. Actually used them to complete real work. If the answer is "never" or "I can't remember," you might be part of the problem.

We keep deploying technology that looks impressive in vendor presentations but creates cognitive overload, workflow disruption, and resentment in daily use. Before you invest in the next "game-changing" platform, spend a week living in your employees' digital reality. Use their tools, follow their processes, feel their friction points.

The gap between what leadership thinks technology enables and what employees actually experience is often where engagement and productivity quietly die.

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