Workplace absences at highest level in a decade
Absences within the workplace are the highest they’ve been in a decade, according to a new report compiled by the London Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Simplyhealth.
After analysing employee health in 918 organisations, the CIPD (2023) health and wellbeing at work report found that the average number of employee absences rose to 7.8 days per UK employee over the last year, which is the highest level in over a decade.
Compared with the “low levels” before the pandemic, there was an increase in absence of about two days per employee.
While the numbers vary across all sectors — with the highest being in the public sector — the report also said smaller organisations tend to have fewer absences than larger ones.
Minor illnesses, musculoskeletal injuries and mental ill health were cited as the top three causes for the rise in absences.
Various other external factors have also had “far-reaching” impacts on people’s health and wellbeing, such as the pandemic, cost of living crisis and economic turmoil, Rachel Suff, senior policy advisor at the CIPD, said in the report.
Covid-19 continues to contribute to absences, according to the report, as 37 per cent said it remains one of their largest causes for short-term absences.
It comes as concerns around illnesses affecting productivity ruse, with the number of economically inactive workers in the UK up 23 per cent in the last 10 years, as reported in the Financial Times last month.
Jeremy Hunt will address the rise in his Autumn Statement in November, the paper said.