National Sickie Day - Monday 1st February 2010

What is it all about?

Has any of your workforce called in sick today?

As many as 25% of the UK workforce could be off today costing businesses £30million!! 

The first Monday of February has officially been named as National Sickie Day in the UK, as it is the day when more workers pull a "Sickie" than any other day of the year. 

Up to 350,000 employees are expected in ring in and make their excuses and it is believed to be caused by post Christmas Blues - some saying "Being Broke", miserable weather and their jobs - lack of motivation or uncertainty.

Modern technology is making it easier for workers to call in sick - with more and more employees resorting to texting and emailing to notify their employer, rather than the traditional phonecall.  Studies are showing that if a phonecall is made, it is generally by the spouse of the person taking a "sickie"!

Studies indicate that bosses are becoming too soft on their staff by accepting these mediums - more than a quarter of UK Companies are trusting workers who claim illness without speaking with them directly, making it easier for fakers to lie and thereby avoiding any embarassing discussion about their ailment.

Emma Marmion, director of Prestige Employment Solutions Ltd said "the traditional phone call has always been the most effective way for bosses to decipher if staff members were being genuine or just "Pulling a Sickie".  Increasingly we are coming across absenteeism within businesses, and the system is open to abuse with the developments in technology.  Many bosses have told us that they were not convinced by the excuses they were given, many are aware that there is an absenteeism problem, but they just dont know how to deal with it."

On Friday 5th February 2010, we are holding an information seminar in Newry, to help businesses and organisations who are experiencing absenteeism.  The seminar aims to

• give a tool kit on how to manage and control iabsenteeism
• the triggers to look out for
• key causes of absence
• and much more