Sickness absence costs companies in the UK £11billion annually .  The current  UK average level of sickness absence is 8.4 days per year.  This is broken down to figures of 10.3 days for the public sector and 6.8 days for the private sector.  It is estimated that approximately 15% of absence is not genuine.  Using these figures well-managed organisations should then target to achieve an absence figure between 5-6 days.  (Absence statistics drawn from CIPD publication Absence Management 2005 see link opposite).

 

However it is important to recognise that most absence is genuine and unwell employees  feel vulnerable and should be given sympathetic help and assistance. .  Indeed a number of well managed companies have difficulty persuading staff to take time off work when they are unwell.  

 

However some staff take time off when they are not genuinely sick, indeed in some organisations a culture of 'sickies' has grown up, where staff feel they have a right to an extra number of days 'absence holiday' each year.  This section describes effective ways to manage and control such absence.  

 

The Managing Absence section indexed right suggests an approach which many organisations have found effective.