PEOPLE AND CULTURE

NEWS

One in four employers have seen an increase in staff sickness

18 Nov 2022

    • A new survey from ACAS has found that one in four employers have seen an increase in staff being off sick compared to a year ago. ACAS commissioned YouGov to ask employers in September if they had seen any changes to the number of employees being off sick compared to 12 months ago. The poll found that:

    • 26% of employers had seen an increase in sickness absence.
    • Almost one in ten (9%) had seen a decrease.
    • Over half (56%) said that the number of staff being off sick had roughly stayed the same.
    • 9% did not know.

    ACAS Chief Executive, Susan Clews, said:

    "Workplaces are handling a wide variety of staff illnesses at the moment such as a rise in flu and COVID-19 cases, as well as the ongoing impact of long COVID. Staff may want to know about their workplace rights if they are off sick and businesses will want to ensure they remain productive and stay within the law. Handling sickness absences effectively can help to prevent any unnecessary disputes at work. Employers should have a clear absence policy that covers the basics such as sick pay, fit notes, how staff should report any absences and keep in touch."

    ACAS advises that employers should have an absence policy in place that is clear about what is expected from both employers and employees if staff need time off work.

    An absence policy should include:

    • How to report absences, including who the employee should contact and when.
    • When the employee needs to get a sick note.
    • When return to work discussions will be held and with whom.
    • How and when to keep in touch.
    • How the employer keeps track of absence and if they set any review or 'trigger' points.
    • Whether the employer provides occupational health or an employee assistance programme (EAP) and when this starts.
    • How much the employee will be paid and for how long.

    It’s important that both the employer and employee stay in regular contact during absence, especially if it's long term. They should agree how often the contact should be, if the contact is to be by email, phone or face-to-face meetings, and who the employee is to be in contact with – this might be their line manager, another manager or an HR manager.

    If a business does not have an absence policy, employees can ask their employer or HR manager what they need to do to take time off work.