ONS report shows highest sickness absence rate since 2004

On the 26th of April 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the sickness absence rates for the UK labour market in 2022.

The figures for 2022 show that the number of working days lost due to sickness and/or injury was an estimated 185.6 million, with the most common reason being minor illnesses such as colds, nausea, and diarrhoea.

This is an increase of 35.8 million days from the 2021 ONS data.

The sickness absence rate, which is the percentage of working hours lost due to sickness and/or injury, has increased to 2.6%.

This is 0.4% more than the rate recorded for 2021, and it is also the highest reported increase since 2004.

In 2020, there was a significant drop in sickness absence rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As lockdown eased and employees returned to the office, sickness absence levels have increased, however, it appears they have quickly surpassed the numbers recorded pre-COVID.

When examining your Company’s sickness absence rates, it is important not to just look at the numbers, but also to try to understand and identify the underlying issues around the absence, which can be achieved in a number of ways:

• Implementing a notification procedure in which employees on short-term absence are required to report their sickness absence on a daily basis. For long-term absences, regular communication is recommended, however, this can vary depending on the circumstances surrounding the employee.
• Conducting return-to-work interviews following any period of sickness absence can help to understand the reason for the absence, as well as any issues the employer should be made aware of, any support that the employer can offer, and any updates that the employee needs to know within the workplace.
• In cases of long-term sickness absence, support from other services such as Occupational Health can help employees during their absence and assist in a return to work. This could also identify reasonable adjustments that can benefit both the employee and the business.
• Certain adjustments could be extended to all staff, such as flexible working options and adapting work equipment, where required. You could also offer wellbeing days that allow employees to take their entitlement, or additional days’ leave, on shorter notice.
• Having a sickness absence management and monitoring policy in place, that provides a set procedure for how to measure, monitor and manage sickness absence. This could also help in finding patterns of absence and outline Company practices for dealing with sickness absence.