Absenteeism and Employment Tribunals

According to independent healthcare specialists IHC, absenteeism is a costly drain on manpower resources facing UK industry today. The figures for 2002 were:

• £11.6 billion paid out, both in staff sickness payments and the cost of covering these absences (this had risen to £13.4bn by 2007)
• The average cost of these sicknesses was estimated at £476 per UK employee
• Each worker was absent through sickness for 7.1 days per year
• The total of days off was 50% higher in the public sector than the private sector
• Total days lost to absenteeism were 166 million.

Whilst it is appreciated that many of these absences were for legitimate reasons, many were not, the CBI recently suggesting that the figure was as high as 15%.

Some people just decide they want some time off, others claim sickness or injury, often for very long, and costly spells. Some are off as a result of dependence on drugs or alcohol, which may be prejudicial to the safety of other employees and at odds with declarations made on health sections of employment application forms. A recent example was an employee on long-term sick leave, claiming an industrial injury and taking legal action against his employers for a damaged wrist. Video evidence of him building a garden fence without handicap coupled with medical records showing an undeclared dependence on prescription drugs, contrary to company rules for his area of employment, lead to the company dismissing him and avoiding the costs of an industrial tribunal as well as the industrial injury case being dropped.

Other staff may have second jobs and take extended absence to complete work. A recent assignment saw an employee off sick for three months with stress who was running his own building company employing a number of staff. His absence coincided with a contract to build a block of flats.

Each client’s requirements are different and we liaise closely with company officials and legal representatives to ensure all evidence is gathered and presented in a form, and to a standard, that is suitable for civil or criminal courts, or tribunals.

Through various means at our disposal we can often conduct enquiries and observations to ensure that many claims are dismissed before expensive legal consultations need be commenced.