Posted: Thursday 6 January 2011
Sickness Absence Nears The 2 million Mark For UK Workers
Unfortunately we have reached the time of year when illnesses and bugs are on the increase and many employees are off sick.
I read an article online today - 2 Million Off Sick After New Year Break - with some remarkable absence stastics. The Telegraph online report indicates that almost 2 million people have called in sick after the New Year break with 275,000 blaming cold, cough or ‘flu like symptoms. The amount of people who called in sick was actually less than last year with the Telegraph reporting that this may be due to the level of snow last year and the fact that the first day for many people after the holiday was a Monday last year but a Tuesday this year.
This number of absences is quite staggering and clearly the question for employers is whether the illness is genuine or whether some employees are trying to get an additional few days extra holiday.
By having an effective absence management process in place, employers will be better equipped to deal with staff absences and I thought I would take this opportunity to remind you of our absence management podcast.
If this is a problem for your organisation then it is important to consider issues such as:-
- Management Reporting – e.g. cost of absence, lost time rate, Bradford factor
- Ensure that absence figures are circulated to the relevant people within the organisation
- Be clear who is responsible for absence management – HR or Employee’s manager or someone else?
- Be proactive in dealing with any issues and do not delay
- Return to work interviews
- Triggers
If anyone wants any further information on how to make a difference in this area please let me know.
