Absenteeism Costs
According to Forbes.com, the total annual cost of lost productivity due to absenteeism in the US is close to $84bn.
In South Africa, 3.96m workers took sick leave during 2013, according to Moneyweb. This is up from 0.7m in 2000, representing an increase of 466%. Do you know what it is now?
A study published by Occupational Care South Africa and Statistics South Africa showed that workplace absenteeism is costing the country between R12 – and R16bn each year. The report also shows that on average 15% of staff are absent on any given day and that only one in three people who do not go to work are actually physically ill… and… apparently – at least 40% of sick notes are issued without a diagnosis.
Top Reasons for Absenteeism
- Lack of control of working conditions and working environment
- Cognitive overload causing stress and even burnout
- Feeling unmotivated, disengaged, bored, disgruntled, and so on. (According to the Gallup Employee Engagement Survey, only 9% of employees said they were “engaged” at work.)
Top Strategy to Reduce Absenteeism
No 1 Strategy to reduce absenteeism, and get way better results from your workforce – it’s no secret – but very seldom used.
Get way better results, save money, improve productivity and morale, and reduce absenteeism.