The long-term absence of employees within a business can affect the morale of their colleagues, suggests new research.

Aviva UK Health found that one in five (22 per cent) employees felt that a colleague’s absence led to them being unduly overworked as they had to make up for the inevitable build up of work.

The study also found that 69 per cent of employers believed that long-term sickness could be particularly detrimental to their business.

Steve Bridger, head of group risk at Aviva UK Health, said that their research showed that long-term sickness was not an unusual thing for someone to experience during their working life.

Mr Bridger said: “If this happens, both the emotional and financial strains on the absent employee and remaining team members can be huge.

“Simply having the right protection in place can greatly reduce the stresses of being ill for both the employee and the employer.”

The survey also found that of those who were off sick, one-fifth felt guilty about letting their colleagues down.