CIPD report indicates absence rates continue to rise
The 2010s witnessed a decline in employee absence rates. Yet the current decade has seen sharp increases, and a report this week by the CIPD has confirmed that employee absence rates continue to rise following the Covid pandemic years.
The findings
The CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work survey found that average absence now stands at 9.4 days absence per employee, per year. This is a 15 year high in absence rates. The chart below shows the dramatic rise in recent years.
It is clear that the pandemic has sparked a major change in absence rates. Although the 2020 absence rate (5.8 days) showed a small decline from the previous year, that figure was based on employee data from prior to the arrival of Covid19 in the UK. The increase since 2020 is an alarming 3.6 days extra absence per employee, per year.
The CIPD also looked at the common health conditions leading to absence.
Causes of short-term absence
The CIPD define short-term absence as any period of up to 4 weeks.
The most prevalent causes* of absence in this grouping are:
- Minor illness (colds/ flu etc.): 78%
- Mental ill health (including depression/ anxiety): 29%
- Stress: 26%
- Musculoskeletal injuries: 25%
It should be noted that repeated incidence of any of the above “short-term” issues might be an indication of a more significant health concern. Investigating such absences with the support of qualified occupational health professionals may help prevent more serious conditions and longer-term absences from occurring.
Causes of long- term absence
The most common causes* of recorded long-term absence are:
- Mental ill health: 41%
- Musculoskeletal injuries: 31%
- Other long-term health conditions: 30%
- Stress: 28%
- Acute medical conditions (stroke/ heart attack etc.): 24%
It is notable that poor mental health is now a key driver in both short and long-term absence rates.
Combating absence
The need to take action on this issue is again becoming a priority for Human Resources teams. Yet the CIPD report found that fewer than one in three (29%) of employers expect to increase their wellbeing budget in the next year.
Just over a third of employers (34%) expect to retain their existing spend in this area.
Of the remainder, 9% expect to decrease wellbeing spending, and 15% admitted that their organisation had no wellbeing budget in place. The remaining employers were unclear as to what their wellbeing spending would be in 2026.
These findings are concerning. With average employee ill-health absence now approaching two working weeks per year this represents a significant hit to productivity. Few employers can afford this given the UKs continued economic uncertainty. Occupational Health Assessment Limited would encourage employers to think again about wellbeing and health spending to help curtail and control absence rates.
*% of respondents who included the condition in their top three causes
About Occupational Health Assessment Ltd
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