retailworld
04-05-2007, 20:16
Workers took an average of seven days off sick in 2006, losing 175 million working days and costing the economy £13.4billion, according to a survey by CBI/AXA.
Employers believed that the great majority of absences were genuine, but that around 12% were down to workers ‘pulling a sickie’. Reasons for taking sickies include lengthening weekends by taking Mondays or Fridays off and 39% of employers said absence is linked to special events, such as major sporting tournaments.
According to the survey, the most important factor that influenced absence is organisational size. During 2006, employers with less than 50 staff had just four days of absence per employee, but this doubled to eight days in organisations with over 5,000 employees. This may be because employees in smaller firms have a greater appreciation of the effect of the absence of colleagues, or because senior managers in smaller firms are more likely to take direct responsibility for absence management.
Other key findings:
~ The North West lost most days in 2006 (8.8) and Greater London the least (5.8). Yorkshire and Humberside lost 7.3 days, however, no lasting links are usually found across surveys between absence and regions.
~ The gap between manual and non-manual workers has continued to narrow to averages of 8 days and 6.2 days respectively.
~ In short-term cases, colds, flu and other minor illnesses were the top reason for absence, with back pain second.
~ In long-term cases, non-work related mental ill health, including stress, anxiety and depression, were the top reason for absence among non-manual staff, with back pain the top reason among manual staff.
~ Public sector absence was 44% higher than in the private sector, with an average of 9 days and 6.3 days lost respectively.
“Everybody gets sick and employers understand that most absence is genuine,” said Susan Anderson, CBI director of human resources policy. “People with long-term illnesses need to time to recover and firms that keep in touch with employees to offer support and flexible working have had real success in reducing long-term absence levels.
“But there is a culture of absenteeism in some workplaces that must be addressed. Some degree of short-term absence is inevitable, but there is a lot that employers can do to manage it. The best organisations use a carrot and stick approach to reward good attendees and tackle the worst offenders.”
For help with managing absence and sickness, click here (http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1073858787&r.l3=1074209970&topicId=1074209970&r.t=RESOURCES&site=27&r.i=1073793845&r.l2=1073858926&r.s=m)
Employers believed that the great majority of absences were genuine, but that around 12% were down to workers ‘pulling a sickie’. Reasons for taking sickies include lengthening weekends by taking Mondays or Fridays off and 39% of employers said absence is linked to special events, such as major sporting tournaments.
According to the survey, the most important factor that influenced absence is organisational size. During 2006, employers with less than 50 staff had just four days of absence per employee, but this doubled to eight days in organisations with over 5,000 employees. This may be because employees in smaller firms have a greater appreciation of the effect of the absence of colleagues, or because senior managers in smaller firms are more likely to take direct responsibility for absence management.
Other key findings:
~ The North West lost most days in 2006 (8.8) and Greater London the least (5.8). Yorkshire and Humberside lost 7.3 days, however, no lasting links are usually found across surveys between absence and regions.
~ The gap between manual and non-manual workers has continued to narrow to averages of 8 days and 6.2 days respectively.
~ In short-term cases, colds, flu and other minor illnesses were the top reason for absence, with back pain second.
~ In long-term cases, non-work related mental ill health, including stress, anxiety and depression, were the top reason for absence among non-manual staff, with back pain the top reason among manual staff.
~ Public sector absence was 44% higher than in the private sector, with an average of 9 days and 6.3 days lost respectively.
“Everybody gets sick and employers understand that most absence is genuine,” said Susan Anderson, CBI director of human resources policy. “People with long-term illnesses need to time to recover and firms that keep in touch with employees to offer support and flexible working have had real success in reducing long-term absence levels.
“But there is a culture of absenteeism in some workplaces that must be addressed. Some degree of short-term absence is inevitable, but there is a lot that employers can do to manage it. The best organisations use a carrot and stick approach to reward good attendees and tackle the worst offenders.”
For help with managing absence and sickness, click here (http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1073858787&r.l3=1074209970&topicId=1074209970&r.t=RESOURCES&site=27&r.i=1073793845&r.l2=1073858926&r.s=m)