Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

AbsenceLatest NewsSickness absenceWorking from home

Sickness absence at 15-year low

by Ashleigh Webber 29 Jun 2021
by Ashleigh Webber 29 Jun 2021 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

The rate of sickness absence in the UK has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years, according to XpertHR.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, working time lost to sickness absence in 2020 dropped to just 2.2% in 2020, down from 2.7% in 2019 and 2.5% in 2018.

The average employee took five days off sick last year, compared with 6.4 days in 2019.

XpertHR, which gathered the data from 190 organisations via its annual survey on sickness absence, suggested that homeworking, shielding and the furlough scheme could have all potentially contributed to the decline in sickness absence last year. Employers could have also changed the way they reported sickness absence while staff were working from home.

Noelle Murphy, senior HR practice editor at XpertHR, said: “A fall in sickness absence is perhaps an unintended consequence of the restrictions put in place to mitigate Covid-19, but considering that a large portion of the workforce was working from home, isolating, or working with strict Covid-19 safety measures, it’s easy to understand this decline.”

She said hybrid working is set to pose new challenges for HR professionals. “We know that adaptations for the post pandemic world will touch each point in the employment lifecycle and people management – how we measure and manage sickness absences is no exception. It’s vital that HR professionals arm themselves with the right tools, data, and guides to shift their approach for this new world, ensuring ongoing effective management of sickness absence and employee wellbeing.”

XpertHR’s data showed that sectors where staff were unable to work from home during the pandemic saw higher levels of sickness absence. Thirty-eight per cent of manufacturing and production firms saw sickness absence rise, compared with 23% of private sector services firms.

Sickness absence

Sickness absence rate at record low

Preventing and managing sickness absence

Short-term sickness absence policy

Six in 10 private sector services companies recorded a drop in sickness absence.

The public sector saw the highest levels of sickness absence in 2020 at an average 2.8% of working days lost per employee. Many of these employees would have been working on the frontline and could have been more exposed to Covid-19 than employees in other sectors.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The cost of sickness absence in 2020 stood at a mean of £503 and a median of £390 per employee. In 2019 these figures were £544 and £568 respectively.

HR Director opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more HR director jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Retail staff assault ‘should be offence’
next post
Breaking down barriers and misconceptions around menopause

You may also like

Union rep teacher awarded £370k for unfair dismissal

15 May 2025

Period pain and absence harm women’s pay and...

13 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

Employers struggling to manage rising levels of sickness...

7 Apr 2025

Employers failing to tell cancer carers of their...

31 Mar 2025

HR and businesses respond to Spring Statement

26 Mar 2025

Postman working second job while sick was unfairly...

25 Mar 2025

UK is only advanced economy where economic inactivity...

20 Mar 2025

What do welfare reforms mean for employers?

19 Mar 2025

Employment Rights Bill: Government stays firm on sick...

5 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+