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Comments by the House of Commons Public Accounts committee about an “amazingly high rate of absence” at two government agencies were reinforced by research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The CIPD’s absence management survey 2007 shows an increase from 4.3 per cent to 4.5 per cent (10.3 days per employee) in absence levels in the public sector in the past year. This compares to a rise in absence from 3 per cent to 3.2 per cent (7.2 days per employee) in the private sector.

CIPD research shows that, within the public services, the health sector recorded the biggest annual increase in the level of employee absence to 5.5 per cent (12.6 days per employee), up from 4.6 per cent last year.

The annual average absence rate for central government employees increased from 4.6 per cent to 4.9 per cent (11.1 days per employee). 

Robust absence management

Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser explained that managing absence is a challenge for all employers. He believes that a balance has to be struck between providing support and rehabilitation and a robust absence management process which uses disciplinary procedures where necessary.

He added that the increase in employee absence in the public sector and the gap between public and private sector absence is “clearly worrying”. A factor contributing to this increase is the clear difference in organisational culture between how absence is managed in the public and private sectors.

“The public services are more likely to address problem levels of employee absence as a matter of health and capability, while private sector organisations are more likely to manage absence as an issue of conduct through the disciplinary process,” Wilmott said.

He added, “This contrast in styles of performance management is perhaps an area that public sector organisations should consider when they are looking at ways of continuing to reduce high levels of employee absence in the public services.”

Average cost of absence

The average level of employee absence has increased for the first time in two years – now 3.7 per cent of working time lost compared to 3.5 per cent in 2006. Only three quarters of employers record their annual employee absence rate.

On average, employers believe that about 16 per cent of absence is not genuine. The only decrease in average absence levels across the public services was recorded by the local government organisations, which saw the headline rate of employee absence fall significantly from 4.8 per cent to 3.7 per cent. 

The average cost of absence increased to £659 per employee per year from last year’s figure of £598. The cost of absence is highest in the public sector at £732 per employee per year compared to £680 last year.

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Related links

• CIPD