North West has highest sickness rate in the UK
THE North West officially has the
highest sickness rate in the UK, according to the 2015 Sickness Absence Survey
report, published by EEF, the manufacturers' organisation and employee benefits
company Jelf.
The business survey, the largest of its kind, shows that 6.2 days a year are
lost to sickness per person in the North West; up from 5.6 days a year
previously and enough to see the region outstrip all other areas of the UK.
The North West also sees the highest sickness rate in the UK at 2.7%; this
compares to just 1.8% in the West Midlands, which has the lowest rate in the UK,
and to 2.2%, which is the national average.
After reaching a record low, overall sickness rates have started to creep up.
This suggests that the days of 'presenteeism'; a trend particularly noticed
around the time of the recession; are over. Nationally, 5.1 days a year were
lost in 2014 compared to 4.8 days the year before and the report says that
employers are struggling to address mental health issues in the workplace amidst
growing concern at long term absence trends. The number of manual workers
reporting 0 absence has fallen for the 1st time in 5 years, while only 55% of companies hit their absence target last
year; the lowest since 2008.
More worryingly, when it comes to long term absence 40% of companies saw an
increase last year; the largest increase in 5 years. While back pain and
musculoskeletal disorders remain the biggest cause of long term absence (34%),
stress and mental health disorders are ranked as the most difficult to make
workplace adjustments for (32%). Furthermore, a third of employers said that:-
"they do not have a system in place for managing mental health related long term
absence." The survey also shows that employers' approach to managing absence remains
mixed. Encouragingly, the number of companies setting absence targets is
increasing (33% have no target compared to 40% last year) and 40% can make
workplace adjustments or provide training to manage long term absence.
In contrast, almost ¾ of companies don't measure the cost of
sickness absence, while 70% don't measure the return on their investment for the
health and well being benefits they offer. According to EEF, the new Fit for
Work service will be critical in reducing long-term absence, especially
musculoskeletal disorders and mental health issues, and the report contains a
number of recommendations on how to make the service succeed.
Darrell Matthews, North West Region Director at EEF, says:- "While overall
levels remain low, there continues to be a marked difference between short and
long term absence, which is creeping upwards. Without a renewed effort to tackle
the root causes it will continue to act as a drag on the economy and a brake on
efforts to improve productivity and boost growth. Of particular concern is the
gradual increase in stress and mental health related problems over the last 5
years, which GPs and employers are struggling to deal with. As a society we can
no longer ignore the very real impact of these issues both on the individuals
concerned and the wider economy. While employers and GPs appear able to manage
other causes of absence they must now be given the tools to deal with stress and
mental health issues in the same way."
EEF will be presenting the report's findings at the national Safety and Health
Expo in London. North West businesses interested in finding out more about the
support available to help them with workplace issues, including sickness
absence, should click on
here.
