'Sickies' suspected as absenteeism rises in UK
Sick leave from British companies has risen for the first time in five years, says a report out today.
Many firms suspect a large slice of it is taken by workers feigning a “sickie” to extend their weekend break.
Total workplace absence last year was 176 million days and cost British industry £11.6bn (€17.3bn).
Employers estimated that 25 million days were lost last year through sickies, 15% of all sickness absence.
The poll of 500 firms, by the CBI and insurance giant AXA, followed moves by firms including supermarket giants Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s in recent days to crack down on sickness leave by not paying sickness money for the first few days of absence.
The 176 million days was an increase of 10 million on 2002 and the first rise since 1998.
The average worker took 7.2 days off last year, an increase of half a day on the previous year.
The CBI said the cost of workplace absence remained “worryingly high”, with firms paying £11.6bn (€17.3bn) to cover the salaries of absent staff.
John Cridland, CBI Deputy Director-General, said: “Firms understand that the majority of absence is due to genuine minor sickness, but absence is a serious and expensive concern that is on the increase.
“This rise has been caused by a growing level of service sector absence that may be the direct result of the tough year endured by the sector.
“As costs rose in 2003, many services firms were forced to slim down and conduct the same amount of work with fewer staff.
“This would have increased pressure on employees and possibly affected morale, leading to an increase in absence.
“Unwarranted long weekends and staff ’pulling sickies’ are taking their toll on the UK’s ability to absorb the enormous cost of absence.
“With employees pulling sickies adding £1.75bn (€2.6bn) to last year’s absence bill, companies will be concerned about staff awarding themselves days off during this summer’s Euro 2004 football tournament.”
Public sector workers took an average of two extra days off sick last year than staff in private firms, the research found.
Workers in the public sector took an average of almost nine days off at a cost of £566 (€845.30) per employee, compared with around seven days in private firms at a cost of £450 (€672) per worker.
The British taxpayer would be saved £1bn (€1.5bn) if public sector absence was brought into line with with the private sector average, said the CBI.
Absence levels were highest in the north-west (10.1 days), east and north of England (8.1 days) and Northern Ireland (8 days) and were lowest in Scotland (5.6), London (6) and Yorkshire and Humberside (6.3).
Dudley Lusted, head of AXA’s Corporate Healthcare Development said: “That more companies are introducing rehabilitation policies is welcome recognition that doing nothing is not a viable option.”
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “The increase in sickness absence reported in the survey shows that employers, particularly in the service sector, continue to make workers ill through overwork, bad management and outdated work methods.
“The TUC and CBI need to work together to get employers to concentrate on keeping staff healthy and in work which should be even more important in a struggling sector.
“Over three-quarters of sickness absence is made up of people on long-term sick because employers fail to prevent and deal with serious illnesses such as stress, back pain and occupational asthma.”
