BUPA has recently launched a calculator that can help employers calculate the cost of absence through sickness to their businesses.
BUPA estimates that the cost of employee absence to businesses has risen to £13bn, which is the equivalent of 164 million work days!
Our view
Especially in small businesses employee absence is crippling and can cause delays, poor efficiency and reduced customer service.
We have seen many UK businesses move away from voluntarily paying staff when they are off sick, leaving them to rely instead on the subsistence income available through Statutory Sick Pay.
From the companies we have spoken to, absence due to sickness has reduced – especially on Mondays and Fridays.