Sick Days UK: Number of UK sick days taken on the rise

ONS Reports 141.4 million working days lost due to sickness or injury in 2018, compared to 131.5 in 2017

New figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of sick days taken by UK employees annually has increased, now equating to 4.4 days per worker.

The latest statistics show that although the sickness absence rate has been fairly flat since 2010, there has been a slight increase in instances of sickness compared to 2017. More detailed analysis shows a particular prominence of high rates of sickness absence in certain groups, such as women, older workers, those suffering from long-term health conditions, part-time workers and those working in large organisations with over 500 employees.

 

Workers with the greatest reduction in sickness absence rates between 1997 and 2018 are those with long-term health conditions, public sector workers and those aged between 50 and 64.

 

The biggest reason stated for sickness absences in 2018 is minor illnesses (such as coughs and colds), at 27.2%. Musculoskeletal problems and mental health conditions are also commonly stated reasons, at 19.7% and 12.4% respectively.

 

 

Bodet’s Absence Management Solution provides a range of functionality for monitoring absences. You can setup and receive alerts for unexpected absences, create detailed absence reports and record data such as the reason for absence. Additionally, it can monitor KPIs such as the Bradford Factor. This means you can identify absence patterns linked to causes such as stress, allowing you to support staff before long-term absence occurs.

 

For more information on how our Time & Attendance Systems can benefit your organisation, or to book a free on-site demonstration, please contact us.