Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Sickness absence managementOccupational Health

Supplier absences rates cause lost profits for retailers

by Nic Paton 14 Nov 2013
by Nic Paton 14 Nov 2013

A study of 1,700 employees involved in the supply chains of major retailers has revealed high levels of unauthorised absence, with an average of 5.6 working days – or over a week – being lost per annum as a result.

The survey by Responsible Trade Worldwide calculated that such absence equated to some 9,520 lost working days at an average cost of £42,000 per 100 employees.

High levels of absence needed to act as a "red flag" for retailers when assessing their suppliers as it was likely to indicate poor working conditions, low worker satisfaction, lack of job security, insufficient training and low pay, among other issues, argued head of research Rebecca Taylor.

"The problem has not been as widely measured until now because retailers will assess suppliers on a ‘top-down’ basis, which does not highlight the worker’s perspective," she pointed out.

"Our findings show that direct dialogue with employees within the supply chain can provide the retail industry with a more accurate insight into the practices and processes that take place within their supplier’s workplaces.

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.

"Retailers may be incurring significant charges in relation to unauthorised absence, but it is not as costly as the untold reputational damage that can be done from bad working conditions within the supply chain.

"In an increasingly interconnected world where customers vote with their feet and a company’s hard-won reputation can be destroyed within weeks, listening to the worker’s voice can no longer be considered an optional extra for retailers that are serious about managing risk," she added.

Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consultant editor at Personnel Today. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for Personnel Today and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Evolving occupational health to meet future needs
next post
When is a request to be accompanied at a disciplinary meeting unreasonable?

You may also like

Three-quarters more likely to stay with employer who...

14 Jul 2025

‘Frustrating’ that NHS Plan has overlooked OH, warns...

8 Jul 2025

Four in 10 call centre workers to quit...

8 Jul 2025

Third in north west fear ill health will...

2 Jul 2025

Supporting employees through substance abuse

24 Jun 2025

With HR absence rising, is your people team...

24 Jun 2025

How employers can support cancer carers better

11 Jun 2025

Two-thirds of workers still struggling to access GPs...

10 Jun 2025

Half with MS have left a job because...

3 Jun 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

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
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today