Absenteeism
In the UK the rate of employee absence has risen to its highest level in a decade. According to the WTW Absence Survey this reached 4% in 2023, with an average of 4.8 days lost per employee, per year. It can be a complex issue, causing both direct and indirect costs for businesses. It’s important for HR to have a handle on this and be able to quickly deploy change, and that’s where great HR reports and insights can help you to tell the narrative.
There are several components to look at when discussing absenteeism, such as:
The Bradford Factor
Loss in productivity
Cost of absence
Paid vs. unpaid leave
Average sick days by employee
Trends over time and seasonal spikes
The Bradford Factor is a method used by employers and HR professionals looking to objectively calculate rates of absence for all employees. The Bradford Factor is based on the theory that short, frequent, unplanned absences are more disruptive to businesses than longer periods of absence. Using a mathematical formula, it takes the number and frequency of absences to produce a simple score based on their estimated impact on a business.
This method can be used to identify employees with a high absence record, allowing HR to intervene and provide support before this worsens. It can also be used to support disciplinary action decision-making and track employee absence trends over time. The formula can be used in a positive, proactive way of identifying and offering additional support to employees such as flexible working arrangements or help from the employee assistance programme.
Although there are benefits of using this method, employers should consider the bias implications of using the tool, such as employees with disabilities or chronic health conditions who may have frequent absences out of their control. It also doesn’t take the reason for the absence into account, meaning employees may be penalised even though they have legitimate absences due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances.
In the UK the rate of employee absence has risen to its highest level in a decade.
Research carried out by Vitality found that poor health at work is responsible for an estimated £138 billion per year due to absence and impact on productivity in work. From their analysis, they found that mental health issues had the greatest negative impact on productivity, with those at risk of depression, fatigue and burnout losing 151%, 141% and 120% more productive days in comparison to those who don’t report these types of health issues. That being said, physical health shouldn’t be dismissed as the data found that health factors such as poor diet, obesity, musculoskeletal conditions and lack of physical activity increase lost time by 14%, 54% and 28% respectively. Interestingly, the research showed a generational divide, with those under 30 losing an average of 59.7 days per year, whereas those over 50 losing an average of 36.3 days per year. These days for under 30s are mainly lost due to mental health issues as they’re 224% more likely than older employees (over 50) to suffer from depression.
Poor health at work is responsible for an estimated £138 billion per year due to absence
The average number of sick days taken in a year by employees has increased in the last few years, which is likely due to the covid-19 pandemic. The CIPP found that employees were absent for an average of 7.8 days last year, which has increased significantly since the pre-pandemic rate of 5.8 days. Stress seemed to be the most notable reason for both short and long-term absences, with over 76% of employees reporting stress-related absenteeism in the past year. Heavy workloads were identified as the primary cause of stress-related absence (67%), followed by management style (37%). Minor illnesses (94%), musculoskeletal injuries (45%), and mental health issues (39%) were the top reasons for short-term absenteeism.
When it comes to delving into the data of absenteeism, you may find there will be trends over time and seasonal spikes across the year. This could be down to adverse weather, seasonal stresses, or increased financial pressures. According to research, the first Monday of February is one of the most common days for employees to call in sick, so much so it has been coined the term “National Sick Day”. Businesses may find spikes in absenteeism during the winter months, especially post-Christmas as people tend to have more financial burdens and struggle with morale and motivation. Mental health conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can also be a contributing factor to periodic absenteeism. Cold and flu cases also tend to rise from October, peaking in January or February. For more information on seasonal absence, have a read of our Summer Absence Guide.
Looking at the trends of your absenteeism data, it’s important to consider what the main contributors are. For example, if you’re seeing an upward trend, this could be caused by many factors, from illness, burnout and workplace stress to a toxic work culture, bullying or harassment and disengagement. It’s also worth digging deeper and looking into the absence by department – if a particular team seems to have a higher rate of absenteeism, investigate this further to see if there are any issues with management or disengagement. On the other hand, if you’re seeing a downward trend, first up this is great news! While absence isn’t an issue, you could be surveying your employees to find out what they love (and don’t love) about your company and its culture. This is something you can do easily with employee enagagement software.
Employers can do many things to help reduce absenteeism in their business, such as focusing on engagement, analysing retention, encouraging employees to book annual leave to reduce burnout, and identifying and talking to unengaged employees to find out the reasons for absence. When actioning the data, you should consider how you can navigate employees with absence issues, what kind of support is required from an HR perspective, and what rights your employees are entitled to. If your absenteeism problems lie within certain departments, give thought to whether your managers need more comprehensive training, or whether the difficulties are focused on a wider engagement issue within the business.
According to research, the first Monday of February is one of the most common days for employees to call in sick, so much so it has been coined the term “National Sick Day”.
Reporting on absence is important to HR departments. Not only does it help you spot trends and report upwards. It also signals to you when you need to step in and when issues are coming to a head. Like with everything in HR, you could manually report on it. Here’s just a few reasons people opt for proper HR reporting.
Put a stop to your HR team having to manually pull data
No more time wasted on combining data across departments
Enhanced accuracy and reduced errors
Data-driven insights for better decision making
Streamlined administrative processes
Boost employee experience with clear cut goals coming from data
Use pulse and eNPS surveys to gather real sentiment
Build a positive workplace culture
Want to see how ready made employee engagement reports can revolutionise your reporting? Book some time with one of our friendly experts!
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