Articles
Don’t let National ‘Sickie’ Day give you a headache
You’ve heard of Blue Monday – reported to be the most depressing day of the year – but you may not have heard of National Sickie Day.
Statistically, the first Monday in February is the most common day for people to phone in sick. The Employment Law Experts (ELAS) predict that this year’s National Sickie Day will cost the UK economy around £45 million in wages, lost hours and overtime.
On 6 February 2017, around 350,000 people are expected to call in sick. Many will have a valid reason… but plenty more will be tempted to phone in a sickie for the smallest of sniffles – then, of course, there will be those suffering the inevitable hangover from celebrating the end of dry January.
The top 10 worst reasons for taking a sickie
According to ELAS, the following are the top 10 worst reasons people called in sick last year. Far-fetched they may be, but they’re all genuine.
- It’s my dog’s birthday and I need to arrange a party for him
- My friend is on annual leave so I can’t get a lift
- I got arrested
- I lost my PPE
- I’m too drunk to drive
- My only pair of work trousers is in the wash
- I stayed out too late partying and haven’t had any sleep
- The dog ate my shoes
- My wife earns more than me so I have to look after the kids
- I have no way to get to work
Make analysing absence a breeze
Managing absence can be a pain in the neck for small business owners. PeopleFirstHR offers affordable, easy-to-use solutions that make analysing absence a breeze.
Having a facility such as Employee Self Service to record when one of your team is off sick reduces the administrative burden on your HR manager, and enables you to identify and track trends using analytics such as Bradford Factor reporting, and being aware of the return to work process.
As they say, forewarned is forearmed.
Contact Us today on 01242 663974 or email enquiries@peoplefirsthr.co.uk