There's no doubting that absence from the workplace is expensive. However, the direct costs that absence causes are only a part of the problem. Absence from the workplace disrupts production, operations, customer service and morale.
Organisations have to spend extra money on temporary cover or overtime as a result.
And unchecked absence can lead to bad feeling, conflict and disciplinary action, including dismissal - which, in turn, can lead to tribunal hearings and even compensation payments where organisations are unable to demonstrate that they have acted fairly. So the true cost of absence is far greater than the number of the days lost. Surveys indicate that 34 per cent of absences claimed as being due to ill health are actually for other reasons. Of the 66 per cent of absences that really are due to illness or forces beyond an employee's control, a proportion is trivial. Minor colds, cancellation of a bus or train service and other surmountable obstacles fit into this category.