Long term sickness is on the rise, bringing more challenges to employers.
The ONS estimates that 2.8 million people aged 16-64 years were economically inactive because of long-term sickness in October to December 2023. These
revised figures are even higher than originally thought and the trend remains on an upward trajectory.
Workplace absenteeism costs UK business billions of pounds each year in lost days, temporary replacement staff and sick pay, and the stark reality is that 6.6% of 16-64-year-olds are now economically inactive for health reasons - a record high since 1993.
Young Workers
Changes over recent years have seen people in their early 20s more likely to not be working
due to ill health than those in their early 40s. Employment and mental health are closely linked and young people now have the poorest mental health of any age group.
Absenteeism, whether due to physical illness, mental health issues, personal reasons, or unforeseen circumstances, affects team productivity, workflow continuity, and can strain resources when not managed efficiently.
Smaller firms can be more adversely affected by staff absence with more pressure being placed on colleagues to fill the gaps.
Being off work can be isolating and reduce confidence levels. The longer someone is off sick, the harder it can be to make a successful return.
Work is Good for Health
There’s a strong evidence base that work is good for our health and wellbeing and now a new pilot programme is being rolled out by the NHS, to support those with mental health problems back into employment.
More than 40,000 people on the scheme are being
linked up with employment advisors to support them back into work. By March next year, every person accessing NHS Talking Therapies will be offered the chance to benefit from employment advice.
An Effective Solution
Without the right policies and processes in place, keeping score on company absences isn’t always easy - especially where there’s flexible working from multiple locations.
Effective absence management is about creating a step-by-step pathway that allows managers to have full transparency and insight into staff attendance, which can then be shared across departments and the whole company.
WorkSmarter’s powerful and easy to use platform provides an
effortless online solution for tracking and recording absences quickly and accurately, allowing information to be stored in one central place so it can be easily accessed by the right people as and when it’s needed.
- Record absences across the company – never lose sight of who’s off, and when.
- Self-report option via desktop or mobile app.
- Ensure compliance with current UK HR law.
- Helps reduce absences and facilitate easier returns to work.
- Follow up more effectively with Return to Work Interviews.
- Dynamic Absence Calendar provides full visibility for managers.
- Automatic alerts keep management informed.
- Detailed Excel reports highlight absence trends.
Bradford Factor Calculation
Strategic analysis plays a vital role in supporting effective absence management and now platform users can gain even more insight with the integration of
Bradford Factor Calculation into our reports.
Used by numerous companies across the world, the Bradford Factor allows you to apply a relative weighting to unplanned staff absences – such as sickness, emergency childcare, and medical appointments.
This provides a benchmark tool enabling managers to have an assessment score for an individual staff absence record,useful as a tracking tool or for the early identification of concerns.
Using technology to reveal what’s really going on behind the scenes means you can intervene earlier - providing valued staff more help and support to return to, and stay in, work.
A Proactive Approach
WorkSmarter’s platform employs the very latest technologies and best practices, giving SMEs the confidence that their absence management process is integrated, streamlined, takes care of all the core tasks, and won’t let them down.
More accurate data at the click of a button means more time to assess, strategise and plan. By spotting early warning signs, issues can be resolved sooner and your business protected.
Moving your HR admin online with WorkSmarter is affordable, reliable and secure.
We want our innovative software to be accessible to as many growing businesses as possible, so we won’t tie you into a contract or charge any set up fees.
You’ll also get all the support you need for a quick and easy set up. Talk to one of our friendly platform specialists today.
Book a demo.
