“Fit note” not yet delivering reduction in absence

Last year each employee took an average of 6.5 days off sick, according to the latest CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey, which can be found here.

Despite the introduction of the new “fit note” in 2010, the rate of absence last year was marginally higher than in 2009.  The 190 million days cost employers £17bn, including over £2.7bn from 30.4 million days of so-called “sickies”. This does not include the other indirect costs of absence, like lower customer service and lost productivity.

This year’s survey is the first since the launch of the fit note – the new medical certificate focussed on what people can do rather than what they can’t, designed to aid returns to work and reduce absence costs.

Public sector absence

Employees in the public sector took more sick days than those in the private sector, an average of 8.1 days a year compared with 5.9 days. This represents an improvement on last year’s average of 8.3 days and a marked improvement since 2007’s average of 9 days.

Far more absence in the public sector is long-term than in the private sector, and reducing this will be key to reaching private sector levels. The CBI estimates that if the public sector could reach private sector absence levels, it would save the taxpayer around £5bn by 2015-16.

The cost of absence is much higher in the public sector – a median of £1040 compared with £710 in the private sector, or a difference of 46%.

Long-term absence

Long-term absence accounts for 32% of all time lost to sickness. In the public sector, the proportion is even higher, with long-term health problems causing 47% of days lost, compared to 27& in the private sector.

Mental health issues are the single biggest cause of long-term absence, followed by musculoskeletal disorders, back pain and cancer treatment.