Sickness rates highest in UK

The average worker in the region is off work half a day longer than the national average, according to a joint study.

Sickness levels at work in the West Midlands are the worst in the UK, a new report reveals.

The sickness absence rate within private employers in the West Midlands has been found to be 6.7 days lost per employee per year, compared to the UK average of 6.2 days, in the latest research carried out by EEF, the manufacturer's organisation, and insurance risk group Unum.

Overall there has been a 20 per cent drop in short term sickness absence, but more than one third of employers have reported an increase in long-term absence from 2007 to 2008, with employees away from work for a month or more.

The EEF argues that the cost of long term sickness to companies is "exponentially higher" than short-term absence, due to the expense of replacement staff, agency fees and other indirect costs.

Surgery, medical investigations or tests account for almost 60 per cent of all long-term absences, ahead of back problems (34 per cent), cancer (26 per cent) and stress (25 per cent). And it has risen by six per cent over the last few months and by 14 per cent since 2005.

The EEF is now calling for people to get faster access to treatment and diagnosis, after the report found 28 per cent of companies reporting problems with staff waiting for appointments or diagnosis, and 25 per cent cite "waiting for treatments or operations" as delaying employees returning to work.

Peter O'Grady, West Midlands' spokesperson for EEF, said: "The overall fall in sickness absence figures conceals a worrying trend – an ongoing issue with long-term absence.

"Employers can do a lot to address this through better management, but employees would benefit from faster access to NHS treatments and secondary care.

"Furthermore, similar training to that being provided to GPs in health and work also needs to be given for health professionals who work in hospitals."

The research showed 45 per cent of companies were dissatisfied with the current sick note system, with only 28 per cent satisfied.