By bizn_fun 
The rise in sickness is being driven by a “surge” in mental health issues among young people and muscular skeletal issues, aches and joint pain in older people that is leading them to leave work.
But the report put an emphasis on employees’ “personal responsibility”, warning: “Disengaging from work and potential support, or relying on welfare as an alternative to work, can set people on a path towards detachment and dependency, rather than recovery and participation”.
Katie Livings has chronic fatigue syndrome which causes exhaustion, headaches and sensitivity to light. She also has an inflammatory condition which affects her joints.
“The pain can be so severe I can be left completely bedbound and if that happens I can’t work and have taken long periods of sick leave,” she told the BBC.
When she graduated from university she worked in a call centre but “ended up taking sick leave and then having to resign in a very short space of time”.
When she was able to return to the workplace she said she felt “a little bit lost” and turned to disability charity Scope for help in finding a new role.
“I asked for part-time and the roles were reduced on that basis for me that was the big reason I was able to go back into work,” she said.
She began work as a legal assistant and asked for adjustments to help her.
“Having access to an ergonomic chair, keyboard and mouse means I can stay in work longer,” she said. Ms Livings is also able to take regular rest breaks and attend medical appointments often at short notice during the day.
She said being able to ask for changes was “empowering” and “allowed my health condition to improve”. She has since progressed into a paralegal role.
The Equality Act 2010 already requires employers to make “reasonable adjustments” for disabled people to prevent them from being at a substantial disadvantage.