Is sickness absence a growing business?

Employee absence due to illness is a huge drain on resources and can do much to negatively affect a business. In 2011, the East of England, along with the North East and North West of England, had the highest rates of sickness absence in the United Kingdom at 2.6%, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In considering the relevance of this information to your business, you may wish to think about the following questions:

  • How many working hours have been lost because of sickness absence over the last year?
  • How much did statutory sick pay (SSP) cost the business?
  • Did the business have to bring in temporary employees or ask other employees to work overtime in order to get the work done, and what was the cost of this?
  • Did you lose any customers because you were unable to meet their requirements or deadlines?
  • Do you know the effect that sickness absence had on your bottom line during a 12 month period?

If you do not know the level of sickness absences or are you concerned about the current level of sickness absence in your business, you should consider:

  • Writing and introducing an Absence Management Policy and Procedure that works by reducing the absences.
  • Providing support to help manage and deal with employees who have high levels of sickness absence.
  • Encouraging your employees to take greater responsibility for their health and work attendance.
  • Help to reduce your costs relating to absence.

To learn about how to do implement these steps, contact WLP at enquiry@w-l-p.co.uk.