Employment Law Specialists: The Increase in Staff Absence
A recent report carried out by XpertHR concluded that employee absence has increased to 6.6 days per person, per year meaning that employers are losing out on a rate of 2.9% productivity due to staff not being at work.
Roughly speaking, this means employers with 1,000 or more staff loose on average 8.8 days per employee.
The figure for employers with fewer staff is a lot less and this raises a number of questions such as, are people happier working for smaller organisations? This is not evidenced in the study but could be an explanation.
For the first time since 2006 figures relating to absence have increased – but why? Are staff being ‘burnt out’ by the level of expectation placed upon them or in turn when a colleague is absent meaning that their workload increases?
Is it that the attitudes of staff have changed? Or is it simply reflective of the increased number of people in employment compared to 2006? Whatever the reason, it is clear that manging the absence levels of employees need to be a priority for employers.
We know that absent staff cost employers time and money - around £455 per employee per year. Whilst a member of staff is absent, provisions have to be put into place for continued productivity and performance. For some employers such costs simply cannot be afforded and the impact of staff absence can be enormous.
Lawson-West Employment Associate, Carrie-Ann Randall, comments: “My experiences, when acting for both employers and employees, would suggest that there are factors surrounding the increase in lifestyle pressures in both a professional and personal capacity.
Stress in the workplace appears to have risen considerably over the years – it may be that we are now more educated in such matters or that people are truly encountering more stressful situations.
What is clear is that this is a real problem for all involved and the answer must come from a proactive process which manages absences effectively preventing them escalating further.”
If you are an employer who has noticed a high volume of staff absence you may need to consider reviewing some of your employment law practices. Please contact a member of our expert team on 01858 445 480 / 0116 212 1000 for advice.
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