Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Civil ServiceLatest NewsHR practiceSickness absence

HR proves to be cure for Civil Service ills

by Mike Berry 22 Nov 2005
by Mike Berry 22 Nov 2005

Newly-published Civil Service sickness figures for 2004 have highlighted the massive disparity between the best- and worst-performing government departments.

Official government data, published last week, showed that staff sickness in the Civil Service cost the taxpayer 400m last year. An average of 9.1 working days were lost per member of staff, compared with 10 in 2003.

Across Whitehall, the Cabinet Office was the best-performing department with just 3.6 working days lost. The Inland Revenue – now merged with HM Customs & Excise – had by far the worst record for staff sickness absence, with 12 days lost.

A spokesman for the new HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) department admitted that the figure was “unacceptably high” and blamed a lack of focus on HR for its poor performance.

“Managers in many parts of HMRC were focused on customer service and business delivery in 2004,” the spokesman said. “It is possible that with the emphasis on these activities, difficult areas of people management were not given the same level of attention as in previous years.”

In contrast, Anne Copeland, head of HR at the Cabinet Office, said that good HR practices were the reason behind its good record on sickness absence.

“We work very hard on creating an environment of wellbeing and helping staff with any ‘life’ issues,” she said. “The work that we offer is challenging and rewarding, and that has a lot to do with [our performance].”

Copeland said the Cabinet Office had a dedicated HR resource that specifically targeted employees on long-term sick leave. “If you make employees feel valued then your absence rate reflects that,” she said.

CBI figures put private sector absence currently at 6.4 days per employee. It said workplace absence cost the UK economy a total of 12.2bn in 2004.

Last month, the Department for Work and Pensions said it would offer bonuses to employees who turned up for work in a bid to tackle sickness absence.

Working days lost per year

Government department (days lost)



  • Cabinet Office (3.6)
  • Health (3.8)
  • Treasury (4.1)
  • International Development (4.8)
  • Culture, Media and Sport (5.6)
  • Trade and Industry (7.1)
  • Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (7.4)
  • HM Customs & Excise (7.4)
  • Transport (7.5)
  • Home Office (8.6)
  • Constitutional Affairs (8.7)
  • Education and Skills (9.0)
  • Work and Pensions (9.6)
  • HM Prison Service (10.8)
  • Inland Revenue (12.0)
  • Overall (9.1)
  • Private sector (6.4)


Avatar
Mike Berry

previous post
Partial smoking ban is ‘non decision’
next post
Drawing the line on internet abuse

You may also like

Pay all care workers a £10.50 hourly minimum...

30 Jun 2022

Royal Mail managers vote to strike over restructure

30 Jun 2022

Give wellbeing a board seat: Prof Sir Cary...

30 Jun 2022

One in five workplaces lack LGBT support policies

30 Jun 2022

Christian doctor loses transgender pronoun case, but beliefs...

29 Jun 2022

New chief workforce officer at NHS England

29 Jun 2022

Staff shortages affecting business growth at three in...

29 Jun 2022

MP seeks action on Passport Office’s ‘toxic’ working...

29 Jun 2022

Six in 10 seek help with cost of...

29 Jun 2022

What has cyber security got to do with...

29 Jun 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+