01/12/2011

HR employees' stress levels soar over Christmas period due to staff absence, according to Bupa

Far from winding down during the festive period, HR staff are suffering from increased stress levels due to work place absence, according to a report published this morning by Bupa. The data, from a poll of 100 HR professionals, showed almost three quarters (71%) believe that December absence has implications for their HR team.

David Woods, HR Magazine, Reports

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24/11/2011

I will end the sicknote culture that acts as 'conveyor belt to a life on benefits', says Cameron

A sicknote culture in the workplace is acting as a 'conveyor belt to a life on benefits', David Cameron warns today. At least one in five of those who are absent on long-term sick leave should either never have been signed off in the first place or could go back to work, the Government believes.

James Chapman, Daily Mail, Reports

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22/11/2011

Health at Work - an Independent review of Sickness Absence

An independent review from Professor Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, and former Head of the British Chambers of Commerce, David Frost has been presented to the Government today. The report claims that the changes could save employers £100 million per year by reducing sick pay bills.

Edward Davey, Minister for Employment Relations commented: "Sickness absence is an issue that affects everybody. The current system lets down individuals, businesses and tax payers which is why this review is such an important piece of work. As part of our efforts in reviewing employment-related law and removing the burdens on business, we have the opportunity to make a real difference - tackling sickness absence properly can increase business confidence, boost growth and help get people back into work. Getting the system right is a potential win-win situation so we will be looking at these proposals with interest."

View the latest report below -

Activ Absence Control

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27/10/2011

Sickness absence costs small businesses £1,500 per year

Government must introduce a small employer's relief for the recovery of statutory sick pay (SSP), says the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), as new figures show that sickness absence costs small businesses on average £1,500 per year. The FSB survey shows that on average small businesses only experience 2.4 days sickness absence per employee each year - much lower than the national average 7.7 days per employee - 25 per cent said that they experienced no sickness absence at all and 81 per cent said that they were not at all affected by long-term sickness absence.

SME Web, Reports

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26/10/2011

Sickness leave at Cardiff council costs taxpayer £17m

CULTURE of sickness absence at Cardiff council cost the taxpayer almost £17m of public money last year, an internal report has revealed. Employees at the local authority took an average of 11.5 days off each as a result of illness - costing the council £15.1m in sick pay. A further £1.7m was spent hiring agency staff as cover.

Thomas Pascoe, CardiffOnline,Reports

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