Two in three small companies are risking high levels of staff absence and falling productivity by failing to monitor levels of staff sickness, new research suggests.
A survey by Employee Benefits magazine and healthplan provider HSA suggests just 37% of companies with fewer than 100 employees have a system in place to keep track of staff absence, compared to 51% in 2005.
It also suggested the total cost of sickness to employers is rising. The amount of firms recording the cost at between 6% and 10% of payroll increased from 4% in 2005 to 10%, with those claiming it cost between 3% and 5% rising from 6% in 2005 to 35%.
The most popular means of tackling staff absence was to implement work/life balance policies, cited by 69% of respondents. This was followed by establishing a sickness absence management scheme (66%), encouraging staff to take regular holidays (65%) and introducing flexible working (63%).
The research also highlighted the growing problem of stress in the workplace. The number of respondents seeing this as a major cause of absence rose from 12% to 37% between 2005 and 2006 and increased still further, to 40%, in 2007.
Meanwhile a separate survey by the CIPD has suggested that mental ill-health is the second most common cause of sickness, behind only musculo-skeletal conditions.
The research claimed stress, depression and anxiety accounted for more than 50% of all mental health-related absence, with the average amount of time staff took off due to mental conditions standing at 21 days.
“This research shows how important it is for managers and HR practitioners to be aware of the signs of mental ill-health so that they can take action early and provide support before the individual‘s condition deteriorates to the point they go off on long-term sick leave,” said Ben Willmott, CIPD employee relations adviser.