Worker sick leave statistics released

Posted on 16 May 2008

Comments

New nationwide sick leave statistics have been published, the Guardian reports.

According to a joint survey from insurers Axa and the Confederation of British Industry, these absences cost the UK economy £13.2 billion per year.

On average, workers were found to have taken an average of 6.7 days off sick each across the year.

This is a slight improvement on 2006's total of seven days, however.

The research showed that around 21 million of the 172 million days taken off work were due to workers "pulling a sickie" rather than actual illness.

Commenting, Susan Anderson at the CBI said: "Everyone agrees sick people need time off. But employers face two serious and expensive challenges - dealing with bogus sick days and helping those with long-term illness return to work when they are fit to do so."

She added: "Those with long-term illnesses need time to recover - nobody expects anyone to be at the office checking their emails the day after a heart bypass. But in many cases, like those involving stress or back pain, firms that keep in touch with employees and offer flexible working have been successful at reducing long-term absence levels."

Category: General News

• Save to del.icio.us
• Digg this story