Blowing the whistle on football sickies
Football matches and sickies go together like World Cups and sore heads but with the recession just over – and possibly returning – will so many workers risk losing their jobs this year to see their team losing the game?
The number of sick days claimed by UK workers has already fallen to the lowest level since 1987 suggesting either than the health of the workforce has increased or the fear of being unemployed has risen. The CBI estimates that each British worker took off 6.4 days in 2009 – a year when there was no major soccer tournament – but that average disguises a large number of people who rarely take time off and a small number of employees who are regularly absent.
The figure compares with 6.7 days in 2007, the last time the survey was conducted, which was before the credit crunch and recession.
The CBI reckons 15 per cent of sickies are taken by people who are not ill at all, but again – even if that figure is accurate – it averages out some long-term genuine sickness with the people who take off just one day when their team is playing or the hangover is too much.
But if the figures are improving, the greatest improvement is in the public sector. State employees still take off 8.3 days each, which is 43 per cent more than the average private-sector worker, but it looks like the fear of being unemployed has finally reached those employees too. With public-sector spending cuts looming, it may be that public employees realise this year that choosing the World Cup instead of the office could be a very short-term pleasure.
With England’s first match on a Saturday, the chance to see whether workers watch or work will be postponed. But whereas employers were once strict, it makes sense for many to offer staff the chance to view the matches in the office or factory – allowing them to catch up with work later. That limits the lost time to 90 minutes and keeps employees out of pubs. In an environment where pay rises are thin, it is an almost-free perk that an employer can offer as well as an opportunity for staff bonding.
The CBI reckons the cost of the country’s 180 sick days at £17bn. If the public sector could cut its absentee rate to that of the private sector the annual saving would be nearly £6bn – almost the cost saving the government is looking for this year. Perhaps also giving staff 90 minutes off on 22 June to watch the budget would get home the message of why sickies could be a suicide note.
