Average cost of absence has increased to £666 per employee per year

The CIPD have published their 2008 Absence Management survey. The report, based on an analysis of over 800 employers’ responses, reveals that sickness absence accounts for 8 days lost per employee per year and that the average cost of absence has increased to £666 per employee per year.

This report, ‘Absence management’, sets out the findings of the CIPD’s ninth survey of absence management policy and practice. The analysis is based on replies from 819 UK-based HR professionals in organisations employing a total of more than 2.3 million employees. Key findings from the report are as follows:

• The average level of employee absence has reduced slightly to eight days per employee per year from 8.4 days for the previous 12 months. In terms of working time lost the level of absence has decreased to 3.5% from 3.7% over the same period.
• The average cost of absence has increased to £666 per employee per year, from the previous year’s figure of £659 per employee per year.
• The main cause of short-term absence for both manual and non-manual workers is minor illness such as colds, flu and stomach upsets.
• The main causes of long-term absence among manual workers are acute medical conditions, followed by back pain, musculoskeletal conditions, stress and mental health problems. Among non-manual workers, stress is the number-one cause of long-term absence.
• Return-to-work interviews are rated as the most effective approach to managing short-term absence, followed by trigger mechanisms for reviewing attendance and the use of disciplinary procedures.

The report – free for CIPD members – can be viewed at:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/hrpract/absence/absmagmt.htm