As sickness absence rates increase for the first time in two years, more and more employers are beginning to focus on staff well-being, it has been claimed.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the average level of employee absence has increased from 3.5% of working time lost in 2006 to 3.7% this year.
The average cost of absence has similarly risen to £659 per employee per year from last year’s figure of £598, the CIPD revealed.
As the rate of sickness absence rises, so does the prevalence of workplace stress, with 31% of employers reporting an increase in stress-related absence, the research found. It was also cited as the most common cause of long-term absence in non-manual workers.
Consequently, the CIPD said that the number of organisations focusing on employee well-being as a means of tackling rising absence levels and costs has soared over the last year.
Service businesses are leading the way in the private sector, the survey found, with the number of firms having a well-being strategy rising dramatically from 22% in 2006 to dramatically to 37% this year.
.
Ben Willmott, CIPD employee relations adviser commented: “The report shows employers are increasingly recognising the benefits that can be gained by supporting employee well-being.”
“As organisations increasingly face the costs and risks of long-term absence, damaging their productivity, growth, retention and brand, businesses are increasingly under pressure to address the well-being agenda.”
However, Willmott warned that efforts to promote employee well-being and manage absence will be undermined unless they are underpinned by good people management and effective organisation.
He added: “There is no point providing healthy eating options and on-site gyms if people are dreading going to work because of their bullying line manager or because of their excessive workload.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
