We all know that absence can significantly affect operational costs and
efficiency, and has an impact both at a human and productivity level. Failure to
manage absence proactively on a fair and consistent basis may lead to
entitlement mentality and absence indifference.
The 2011 CIPD Employee Absence survey reports an average per capita cost of absence of £673 per employee per year, up from the £600
reported in the 2008 survey. The overall average absence rate remains at the
2010 level of 7.7 days per employee per year. The public and non-profit sectors
reported significantly higher costs of absence per employee than the private
sector with the median annual cost per employee in the public sector £800, in
the non-profit sector £743 which compares with just £446 in private services and
£444 in the production and manufacturing sector.