Workplace protection has traditionally been thought of as something that steps in after a problem happens: an absence, an injury, a claim or an unexpected financial loss.
But modern workplace risk is more complicated than that.
In 2024/25, an estimated 1.9 million workers in Great Britain experienced work-related ill health, while 40.1 million working days were lost to work-related ill health and non-fatal workplace injuries. Stress, depression and anxiety alone accounted for 22.1 million lost days.
Read the HSE’s 2024/25 workplace health statistics
And not every risk is visible through absence.
A UK Government survey found that 49% of workers had taken sickness absence in the previous year, while 58% had worked despite not feeling well enough to do so.
Read the UK Government’s Survey of Employees and Self-Employed Workers 2024–25
This is why protection needs to become more connected.
The CIPD’s 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work research recorded a record 9.4 days of absence per employee, with mental ill health remaining a leading cause of long-term absence. The report also highlights the importance of proactive action around workforce health.
Read the CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025 report
At Shoorah, we believe protection should bring wellbeing, occupational health and insurance together, rather than treating them as separate areas.
Through the Shoorah × Sanus Shield partnership, clinically informed wellbeing and occupational health insight can sit alongside specialist insurance protection, helping organisations understand risks earlier and respond more effectively when challenges arise.
Because prevention is part of protection.
And when organisations understand their people, their risks and their changing needs, protection becomes more than a policy.
It becomes a way of building a healthier, more resilient organisation.
