Absence levels and costs rise
Maybe it was last year's long hot summer (remember that?) but absence rates, which have been falling for years, have shown a change in trend. The latest Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) survey has found that rates of absence have risen from 8.0 to 8.4 days per employee per year across almost all headline sectors - that's a rise of almost half a day. Only manufacturing and production recorded a drop in absence, of 0.2%, while in the public sector local government were the only service to see a decrease. With the average cost of absence per employee per year rising from £598 to £659, employers are potentially facing a huge extra bill unless they do something to bring the absence level trend back on track.
As we have reported in our 'The Smoking Ban' article in this edition, it seems that July's smoking ban is leading employers to consider employee health more widely, and considering the recent rise in absence levels, this is probably a good thing. The survey found that nearly 50% of those surveyed had implemented a wellbeing strategy, double the percentage from last year. The most popular wellbeing strategies include counselling services, employee assistance programmes and, of course, stop smoking support.
Next year's survey will tell whether such strategies are having an impact on absence levels across the board, however in the meantime individual organisations are reporting positive effects from their wellbeing programmes. What they are also finding, however, is that any wellbeing schemes they offer need to be underpinned by good people management throughout their organisation in order to succeed.
For more information on any aspect of absence management, contact mark @hradvantage.co.uk, or call 01494 451681.
