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Personnel Today

Workplace absence rates increase

by Personnel Today 1 Mar 2003
by Personnel Today 1 Mar 2003

Workplace absence rates are at their highest level since 1996, according to
a study by the Work Foundation.

Overall absence rates were 4.12 per cent in 2002 – or the equivalent of nine
days a year per employee – up from 2.9 per cent in 2001, the study of 400 HR
professionals found. The problem is particularly acute in the public and
voluntary sectors, where the absence rate has more that doubled from 2.97 per
cent to 7.86 per cent.

The top five reasons given by employees for time off were colds or flu, food
poisoning or stomach upsets, headaches or migraines, stress, emotional or
personal problems, and back problems.

Employers believed the most effective methods for maximising attendance were
return-to-work interviews, motivation, accurate monitoring, and training of
line managers. A written absence policy was rated as important by 44 per cent
of those polled.

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Most managers also believed the introduction of flexible working to allow
workers time off for dealing with personal issues, rather than calling in sick,
would help reduce sickness absence rates.

www.theworkfoundation.com

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

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Personnel Today
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