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Workers taking ‘fewer sick days’
Employees took an average of six and a half days off sick last year, the lowest number since absence records began in 1987, according to a new report.
Latest research from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) suggests that 180 million sick days were taken in 2009, equating to an average of 6.4 days per employee.
This is thought to have cost employers around £16.8 billion, although experts have warned that this figure could be higher when taking the impact on customer service into account.
Those in the public sector took an average of 8.3 sick leave days, the CBI said, compared to an average of 5.8 days for private sector workers.
However, the organisation estimates that 15% of the total number of sick leave days taken were not genuine, a problem which costs the economy some £2.5 billion a year.
‘The rate of employee absence has come down, but it still costs the economy billions of pounds a year,’ said Katja Hall, the CBI's director of employment policy. ‘If absence levels across the board could be reduced by 10%, the economy would see annual savings of just under £1.7 billion.’
She continued, ‘Unfortunately, bogus sick days remain a problem, and are unfair on hard-working colleagues and employers alike. Improved rehabilitation and workplace health policies are a key part of achieving this, but so is ensuring that absence, where it occurs, is justified.’