Absence from work on the increase, finds CBI

The latest absence survey from the CBI points to a small rise in the headline absence rate in 2003, following years of decline.

The average worker in the UK took 7.2 days off sick in 2003, compared with 6.8 days in 2002.

  • Measuring the performance gap: the CBI's latest absence statistics   IRS Employment Review analyses the figures.

    Also

    Getting back to business  Employers' increasingly proactive approach to absence offers occupational health departments the chance to play a vital role, argues Nic Paton.

    Proceed with caution when tackling absence  Employers seeking to emulate the robust stance on absence management taken by retail giant Tesco must carefully consider the contractual implications of altering sick pay arrangements. By Linda Farell of Bristows, writing in Personnel Today.

    Managing long-term absence and rehabilitation: part one and part two  Long-term absence is becoming an increasingly important management issue in manufacturing, according to a joint survey from IRS and the Engineering Employers' Federation.

    Tackling long-term absence in local government: Bracknell Forest Borough Council, London Borough of Brent and Doncaster Council    IRS Employment Review looks at how three local authorities have tackled long-term absence.

    Rehabilitation at work: part one and part two   IRS journal Occupational Health Review examines the responses to a survey on rehabilitation policy and practice and reviews the examples of case histories and policy documents sent by individual employers.

    Short-term sickness absence policy and Long-term absence policy   Entries from the XpertHR policies and documents service.