Businesses in the water supply and waste management sector have seen one of the biggest rises in sick leave across the UK in the last four years, according to new research.
The sick leave report, conducted by HR systems specialist, Access People HR, analysed sickness rates from over 2,000 businesses to reveal that the average company in water supply reported 236 days lost to sick leave in 2022. This is a sharp rise from 100 in 2021, 106 in 2020 and 64 in 2019.
In total, the sector experienced 135% more days lost in the last year due to short and long-term illness, and 271% since 2019.
The rise in sickness rates in the industry comes amid a number of planned projects to tackle sewers and water plants in the country. The water industry is also often a customer-oriented one and crucial to the running of the country. As such, it often faces pressure from government bodies and the public to improve.
The industries that saw the biggest spike in the last year:
1 – Accommodation and food service activities – 146%
2 – Water supply, sewerage and waste management – 135%
3 – Arts, entertainment and recreation – 66.7%
4 – Transportation and storage – 44.3%
5 – Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply – 34.6%
6 – Administrative and support service activities – 34.3%
7 – Wholesale and retail trade – 32%
8 – Construction – 32%
9 – NGO/Charity – 30%
10 – Information and Communication – 18%
The industries that saw the biggest spike in the last four years
1 – Accommodation and food service activities – 491%
2 – Water supply, sewerage and waste management – 271.4%
3 – Arts, entertainment and recreation – 92.2%
4 – Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply – 91%
5 – Transportation and storage – 76.3%
6 – Human health and social work activities – 57%
7 – NGO/Charity – 56%
8 – Manufacturing – 48%
9 – Financial and insurance activities – 47%
10 – Administrative and support service activities – 44%
The only industry to experience a drop in sick leave in the last year was real estate, which saw absences fall by 3.8%
Charles Butterworth, Managing Director at Access People HR, commented on the research:
“This report into the status of sick leave in the UK highlights the importance of businesses in the water industry adopting a robust HR strategy as a first point of call when it comes to reducing sick leave. This includes a strong HR system, having clear policies and procedures, and being able to offer tangible support to those that appear to be struggling to taking an excessive amount of sick days.
“The enormous growth in the water industry could be as a result of COVID-19, and people feeling that it’s more important to take time off for their health, with less industry-wide guilt attached to taking time off work and a nationwide effort to remove the stigma associated with the ‘badge of honour’ mentality.
“On the other hand, it may be that people are experiencing more burnout and long-term sickness following the pandemic, resulting in new highs of sickness rates. No matter what, it’s crucial that businesses act swiftly to identify the reasons for sick leave, and if they need to act.”
See the full research, including an industry breakdown, here:
https://www.peoplehr.com/en-gb/resources/blog/sick-leave-report-how-are-different-industries-faring/
