Sickness Absence Trends Worry EEF
The results of a recent survey conducted by Unum, a well known insurance provider to businesses and individuals, and EEF, an industry body that looks after the interests of manufacturers, show a disturbing increase in long term sickness absence rates.
The survey showed that although the overall sickness related absenteeism has gone down in the last year, long term sickness absence has seen a rise in more than 35% of the companies covered by the survey.
It was also found that medical tests and surgeries are the prime reasons cited by employees for long term sickness leaves, accounting for over 60% of such cases. Cancer, back problems, and stress also feature high on the list of causes. Moreover, it appeared that the long wait that the patients had to face for appointments with doctors, or for their treatments to begin increased the duration of the leave that they had to take.
Professor Sayeed, who is the Chief Medical Adviser for EEF, said that the findings were indeed quite disturbing. He urged the companies to come up with better management practices. He also said that a faster access to facilities provided by the NHS, and better training to hospital professionals would help curb the problem.
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