Public Servant Lifestyle

UK Civil Service sickness absence bill reaches £386 million - each member of staff spending an average of two weeks each year away from work.

The latest Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service reveals:

An estimated cost (in 2003) of £386million, representing nearly five million working days lost -
"a significant operational and financial burden" to the Civil Service, says the report, produced for the Cabinet Office.

Each civil servant taking an average of 10 working days off work through sickness - up, from 9.8 days, on the 2002 figure.

More than a third (36.2%) of staff taking no sick leave at all.

A further third (33.4%) taking between one and five days.

Highest levels of sickness absence recorded in the Child Support Agency (CSA) (13.8 days); The Rent Service and Legal Secretariat (13); Scottish Prison Service (12.7); The Prison Service (12.5); and Meat Hygiene Service (12.2).

Staff at The National Savings Department taking an average of just 1.5 days off sick.

Civil servants most likely to be off sick in Northern Ireland (11.8 days).

Absenteeism lowest in the south west of England (nine days).

Mental illness an increasing cause of sickness absence.

Managing sickness absence and return to work - new guidance from the http://www.hse.gov.uk/ (HSE) - says that when you’re off sick, returning to work as soon as possible may help you get well, and staying at home longer than you absolutely need to could actually make you worse.

"Long-term sickness absence, defined as four weeks or more, is a significant burden to employers in the private and public sectors," says the HSE. "It means mounting sick pay, recruitment costs and high workloads for colleagues."

HSE also believe that avoiding long-term sickness absence is good for individuals – work can be an important part of the recovery process. Work is essential to health and well-being; inability to work brings on more health problems, physical and mental. And the longer people are off, the less likely is their return: one in five people off sick for six weeks will remain off work and eventually leave paid employment.

The CBI estimates that 33% of working days lost due to sickness are accounted for by long-term sickness absence (defined as 20 working days or more) at a cost of £3.8 billion a year. Yet it involves only one in 20 employees, most of whom do not have serious illness but are suffering from common health problems such as depression and anxiety or muscle, joint and back pain. Research shows that overcoming non-medical barriers, such as job design and poor communication between employee and employer, is crucial.

“For too many people, long-term sickness absence leads to the spectre of unnecessary job loss, continued ill health and social exclusion," says Minister For Work Jane Kennedy. "A culture exists where long-term sickness absence is accepted as a fact of life. When employers try to do something about it, they and their managers often lack even the necessary skills and support to act. We need to change this culture."

HSE’s new guidance, informed by expert research and significant input from employers, practitioners and unions, offers a practical step by step approach to managing sickness absence and getting people back to work quickly.

Action employers should take, says the HSE, includes:

Keep in contact with sick employees

;

Involve employees in planning their return;

Enable people to resume work on a part-time basis rather than stay away completely;

Adjust or remove any aspects of the job that make return difficult, or offer an alternative job if necessary.

Action employees should take includes:

Keep in touch with your employer and ask for news from work to help you feel part of it;

Talk to your doctor about your job and about going back to work;

Tell you employer about specific problems that make your return difficult;

Make an informal visit to your employer to discuss your return to work plan.

More information available in Advice