Recent bad weather has increased absence rates by 7.5% in January, translating to a cost of 2.7m[i] says Aaron Ross, Manager Director of FirstCareô, the UKís day one absence management provider.
ìFirstCareô has seen an eight fold increase in the number of people staying away from work citing transport problems. Employees appear to have chosen to take sick leave, rather than face the misery of commutingî says Ross,
ìPrevious examples of extreme weather and one off events have dramatic effects on productivity, with rises in absenteeism during the summer heat wave and the World Cup. However FirstCare did not see any rise in absence during Englandís Ashes tourî
ìAbsenteeism levels have now returned to normal levels following the lighter than forecast snow falls. However, freak weather appears to becoming the norm, and employers will have to consider the impact of climate change on productivity.î
[i] 2.7m is derived from the Annual CBI/AXA Absence Survey 2005 figure of 13.2bn as the cost of absence to UK businesses
Snow costs UK businesses 2.7m per day
Recent bad weather has increased absence rates by 7.5% in January
