Employees at Harrogate Council have made it the healthiest council in Yorkshire (external website). An investigation has revealed that staff at the council take an average of 6.8 days off sick per year, which is almost half the number of sick days taken by employees at Hull Council. The national average for private sector sick leave is six days per year.
Businesses lose money as a result of sick leave because of sick pay, the use of agency staff and drops in productivity. The Harrogate figure is reported to represent a number of initiatives taken over a number of years. North Yorkshire Council says that the measures it has taken in respect of sickness absence have lead to savings of more than £750,000 in the past year.
Employers looking for ways to save money would be well advised to consider their sickness absence procedures. The XpertHR good practice guide on sickness absence management [subscription required] provides helpful guidance on putting into place and implementing sickness and rehabilitation policies which could lead to a reduction in sickness absence, fewer repeated spells of absence after employees have returned to work and a decrease in the cost to the business of sickness absence.
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