02 9683 5999Sick leave or absenteeism in Australia costs $30 billion and it was on the rise in 2010 with an average 9.87 days per employee per annum. Some key causes of sick days when not legitimately sick include:
- Low morale in workplace and bad culture
- Unrealistic workloads and deadlines
- Feeling of unfairness in the workplace
- Increase in lifestyle and mental diseases in the general population
- Poor supervision and management styles
It is estimated that more than half of sick days taken are related to issues other than ill health. There are a number of strategies that can be used to help reduce employee absenteeism such as:
- Focus on creating a positive work culture and treat all employees fairly and with respect
- Recognise employee effort and reward appropriately
- Support work life balance for all employees
- Involve employees in decision making processes
