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
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • 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+

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
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • 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+

Sickness absence management

Workplace absence rates no longer falling

by Nic Paton 7 Nov 2013
by Nic Paton 7 Nov 2013

Progress made in reducing absence in the workplace appears to have come to a halt, according to the latest absence survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The annual snapshot of absence by the CIPD and health insurer Simplyhealth has found that after reporting a decrease in 2012, absence levels are now back up to those observed in 2011 and 2010.

The average was back up to 7.6 days per employee after falling to 6.8 days in 2012’s survey. The absence rates in public-services organisations averaged the highest, at 8.7 days per employee per year, and manufacturing and production companies had the lowest rate, at six days per employee per year. More positively, employers did appear to be responding to the challenge, with more firms being prepared to adjust working patterns and environments as a result.

A total of 85% of employers reported that they had adjusted working patterns this year, compared with 65% in last year’s survey.

More than 70% of organisations reported that introducing flexible working opportunities in the past year had had a positive impact on absence levels.

Overall, two-thirds of working time lost to absence was accounted for by short-term absences of up to seven days. One-fifth was attributed to long-term absences of four weeks or more. The survey also found that just under half of absence in the public sector was short term, compared with more than three-quarters in the private sector.

Smaller organisations attributed a higher proportion of their absence to short-term leave, compared with larger organisations.

The data also suggested employers were actively looking at what reasonable adjustments could be made at work to help employees return after a period of absence.

Small changes to working hours, such as working 10am to 6pm instead of the traditional 9am to 5pm, could often help employees better balance their responsibilities in and outside of work, it found.

Nic Paton
Nic Paton

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

previous post
HR says that absence rates not a main concern
next post
Creating safe spaces in the workplace for victims of domestic violence

You may also like

Grants scheme set up to support women’s health...

16 May 2022

Crumbling school buildings ‘risk to life’ suggests leak

16 May 2022

‘Gulf War Syndrome’ caused by release of nerve...

13 May 2022

Workers feeing increasingly anxious, burnt out and fearful...

13 May 2022

Three-quarters not meeting weekly exercise target

11 May 2022

Employers hindering return to work by failing to...

9 May 2022

Mental health still topping the concerns for employers

9 May 2022

Cost of living fuelling access ‘crisis’ in dentistry

9 May 2022

Omicron half as likely to lead to long...

6 May 2022

Link suggested between poor sleep and stubborn weight...

6 May 2022

  • The importance of being an ethical leader and how to become one PROMOTED | What is ethical leadership?...Read more
  • RPO Report: 2022, The Year to Outsource PROMOTED | Employers should be overwhelmed with choice...Read more
  • Report: Enabling organisational agility through talent & people success PROMOTED | Work has been challenged...Read more
  • Employee Trends 2022 report PROMOTED | Edenred research on employees analysed the key employees’ trends for 2022...Read more
  • How finance apprenticeships can boost business PROMOTED | As the world’s most forward-thinking professional accountancy body...Read more
  • Paul Devoy: Showing appreciation to the Investors in People community PROMOTED | Ask most people what comes to mind when you mention Investors in People...Read more
  • White paper: How digitalisation can support evolving occupational health PROMOTED | Download this free white paper to discover how digitalisation can help occupational health meet emerging challenges...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 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
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • 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+