Employers are turning to digitally led tools to manage rising long-term sickness absence, with new figures from specialist employee benefits provider Unum UK pointing to faster take-up of platform-based claims submission and earlier intervention in the absence cycle.
Digitally led claims and absence management journeys are enabling employers to act sooner in the process, when the firm says action has the greatest effect on outcomes.
Six months after launch, 22.5% of Group Income Protection (GIP) claims are now submitted through UnumSync, the company's connected employer platform.
Unum UK said the take-up reflects accelerating adoption of digital-first processes and closer employer involvement from day one.
Paula Coffey (pictured above), director of claims, rehabilitation and medical services at Unum UK, said long-term sickness absence had reached record highs but that a clear shift towards modern claims and absence management journeys was now under way, helping employers act sooner.
The company paid £538 million in group risk and health claims during 2025, Coffey said.
"For the third year running, our Vocational Rehabilitation team helped 97% of people get back to work or reach an agreed outcome. As claim volumes and complexity grow, early and sustained employer engagement is critical to positive outcomes," she said.
The push for earlier intervention is unfolding against sustained pressure on the public health system that continues to drive employer-funded routes to care.
Broadstone analysis of PHIN and NHS England data recorded 500,000 PMI-funded admissions in Q1 to Q3 of 2025, the highest total ever logged for that period and around 16% above pre-pandemic levels.
NHS waiting lists stood at 7.40 million in Q3 2025, with 1.81 million patients still waiting for diagnostic tests by end-January 2026 and 25% of those waiting six weeks or more. Brokers expect continued demand from mid-sized and larger employers historically reliant on the NHS that are now facing prolonged staff absences linked to delayed treatment.
User feedback from Unum UK's wellbeing proposition, Help@hand, points to similar effects further upstream in the benefits journey.
Three-quarters of users said their health concerns were resolved more quickly than if they had booked care elsewhere, while nearly two-thirds said access to a remote GP reduced time away from work.
Coffey said digitally led absence management would play a defining role in how employers respond to long-term absence as the UK workplace continues to evolve, reflecting principles set out in the Keep Britain Working Review.
"This moves the focus upstream, reduces delays, and turns claims into an earlier opportunity for support rather than a last resort," she said.
