Despite workplace absence falling to its lowest level in 14 years, the cost to employers continues to surge.
A study by the Confederation of British Industry and PPP healthcare has shown that although the number of working days lost each year fell from 192 million in 2000 to 176 million in 2001, the cost to employers has increased from £10.7bn in 2000 to £11.8bn in 2001.
The survey indicated those employed in large companies, doing manual jobs where senior managers take little responsibility over absence levels, are more likely to have workplace absence.
Dudley Lusted, director of corporate healthcare development at PPP healthcare, said: 'With sickness absence costs on the rise, organisations still have plenty to gain from improving absence management. Proper training of line managers would be a start. It is astonishing only half of the managers responsible for dealing with absence have ever been trained in this basic competence.'
Although there has been an improvement in workplace absence levels, regional differences were highlighted in the study. Yorkshire and Humberside have the worst record for manual employees and Northern Ireland has the worst for non-manual employees.
Lusted added: 'The improvement in long-term absence is welcome and companies seem to be waking up to the benefits of early assessment and rehabilitation.'
• For more information on workplace absence, see the supplement included with this issue of COVER.
