A tool has been developed to help businesses calculate the financial impact of respiratory illnesses within their workforce.
The interactive tool, developed by pharmaceutical company Pfizer in partnership with the think-tank the Office of Health Economics (OHE), provides tailored estimates of the productivity costs associated with employee absenteeism and presenteeism caused by short-term respiratory infections.
It follows the two organisations publishing research earlier this year that suggested such respiratory illnesses cost employers as much as £44bn a year, or the equivalent of £852 per employee.
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Notably, presenteeism – or working while sick and therefore with lower productivity – is rarely quantified or accounted for by businesses, Pfizer and the OHE argued.
Yet presenteeism caused by respiratory illnesses and infections costs businesses more than absenteeism, making up 54% of the total costs. This suggested the overall impact to a business could be double that of some employers’ estimations, if they are based on absenteeism costs alone.
They also pointed to surveillance data reported by NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in February 2024, which showed that acute respiratory infections are one of the most common reasons for attendance and admission into A&E departments.
The tool draws on benchmark information provided by YouGov survey data and cost data from the Office for National Statistics, as well as employer-provided information.
To get a tailored estimate, users can input their number of employees, region, industry, and other relevant optional information such as absenteeism and presenteeism rates, temporary absence cover, average wage and sick pay. If users do not have this data, the tool will use industry averages and assumptions.
After calculating the results, the tool then displays the total estimated annual cost of respiratory infections to the business, as well as the breakdown between absenteeism and presenteeism costs.
Such information may help business continuity planning around this productivity challenge, Pfizer and the OHE have argued.
“Respiratory infections are an often-overlooked cause of lost productivity and have varying impacts on business sectors,” said Emma Clifton-Brown, head of access and value at Pfizer UK.
“This free interactive tool empowers employers to understand the potential scale of these costs and helps raise awareness to stimulate companies exploring and implementing preventative measures, such as improved hygiene, workplace vaccination programmes and avoiding contact with people who have symptoms, that could mitigate them.”
The tool is available on the OHE website.
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