New ways of working | Does absence management need a rethink?

Kay Needle, early intervention and rehabilitation expert at Generali UK Employee Benefits, interviews Helen Appleby, Vocational Rehabilitation Services Manager at Form Health. They discuss whether new ways of working mean that the definitions of absence and presenteeism – and the way they are measured and managed – needs a rethink.

Employee absence in the UK is at its highest level for over a decade, according to latest data. Presenteeism is also up. Research carried out in the first quarter of 2023, found that 37% of employers reported some level of presenteeism in the past 12 months, compared to only 21% in the previous year. It found that more firms are reporting that employees are working when ill, and they are working beyond their contracted hours. This was evident in firms of all sizes and across all business sectors.

So, the question is, has the workplace and its policies, practices and measurement systems for absence caught up?

The same goes for presenteeism, according to a mini straw poll of audience attendees at the start of our recent webinar* on this topic where the majority (45%) said they didn’t measure presenteeism. Only 18% said they did, while 36% didn’t know.