The EEF employers’ group said that there had been a decline in short-term absence over the past five years.  However, the overall sickness absence rate had flattened off in 2011 and remained unchanged from 2010 at 2.2{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}.   EEF chief medical adviser Prof Sayeed Khan said a “fresh approach” was needed from the government.

The study of more than 400 firms showed that the number of workers taking no days off sick increased from 46{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} to 51{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} between 2010 and 2011.

But the average number of days lost to illness remained at around five per employee, said the report.

Credit: BBC/Reuters