The rise in employee absences throughout the UK due to mental health problems has been well documented in recent weeks. Findings published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that over 127 million hours of sick leave were taken in the UK during 2015 as a result of symptoms such as stress, depression and anxiety; a 25% increase on 2014 figures.
In addition to mental health issues, pain attributable to musculoskeletal, neck and back problems were also prominent causes of employee absence along with minor illnesses. What you may not be aware of however, is that another condition which affects approximately 1 in 7 adults, costs the UK economy an estimated £2.24 billion per year.
According to The Migraine Trust, 25 million working days are lost annually in the UK due to migraine related absences. Migraine attacks are more common than asthma, diabetes and epilepsy combined with working age adults the most affected demographic. While symptoms differ from person to person, migraines usually last between 4 and 72 hours and often include painful headaches, vision difficulties, sensitivity to light and vomiting.
All absences are costly to organisations; however, migraine and mental health employee absences are two particular cases that make absence management an extremely difficult task.
With regard to mental health issues, there is an undoubted lack of communication between managers and employees. Managers are typically uncomfortable discussing mental health issues as they fear making the situation worse while employees are often reluctant to discuss mental health issues due to embarrassment or concerns over their career prospects.
Migraine sufferers tend to take more sick days than their colleagues and due to the contrasting nature of individual attacks, length of absence can fluctuate. There is also a fear amongst managers that some employees see a migraine as the ideal excuse for pulling a sickie due to the immediate onset and short duration of the condition.
Ceequel® Time and Attendance software provides organisations with a comprehensive absence management solution. Our software modules offer a swift, dynamic approach to collecting and processing employee attendance data, significantly improving clerical efficiency and accuracy. Other great features such as Bradford Factor Reporting are also available through our Time and Attendance solutions. A vital tool in combating absenteeism, Bradford Factor Reporting enables managers to identify recurring short-term absences taken by employees, providing a clear representation of disruption caused.
For more information regarding Ceequel® Employee Management Software, contact ELF Productivity today.