In its report Employee Absence 2002 – a survey of more than 1,300 employers employing more than 1.7 million people – the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says that stress was cited as the main cause of long-term absence (more than four weeks) by 44 per cent of respondents.

For manual workers, back pain was the primary reason for long-term absence, being cited by about 30 per cent of those questioned. In addition, the survey found that long-term absence accounts for about one-fifth of all sickness absence.

The most common cause of absence for both manual and non-manual workers is minor illness such as colds and flu, the report says.

To get people back to work after a long period off sick, the CIPD says companies should maintain regular contact with the employee during the absence period, hold return-to-work interviews and offer them reduced hours, on a permanent or temporary basis, on their return.

Diane Sinclair, lead adviser on public policy at the CIPD, said the survey suggested that employers needed to do more to reduce the incidence of stress among their staff.

“ The respondents to our study believe that keeping in regular contact with the absent employee and involving occupational health professionals are the most effective way of getting people back to work after a long period off sick, ” she said.

The report also found that UK employees take an average of 10 days off sick each year at a cost of £13 billion to the economy, a slight increase from last year when the average number of working days lost to sickness stood at 9.3 days per employee.

© Health Media Ltd 2002
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