‘Chucking a sickie’ costs $33b
Australian workers are taking an average of 9.5 sick days a year, costing $33 billion in wages and lost productivity, a new survey has found.
The survey of 103 organisations by Direct Heath Solutions found unexpected illness was the most common reason for short-term absences, with 82 per cent of workers blaming absence on sickness.
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“Chucking a sickie” was the third most common cause of absence from work, with 55 per cent of those surveyed saying they had ‘pulled a sickie’ without being genuinely unwell.
Other reasons for taking a sick day included work pressure, carers leave, mental ill-health, lack of engagement, poor management and unhealthy lifestyle.
Employees in the tourism and hospital industry had the most sick days per year with an average of 11.9 days off, while healthcare and manufacturing had the least, with 7.5 sick days per year.
Absences were also least common on Friday and most common on Tuesday, dispelling the notion that workers are more likely to throw in the towel on a Monday to take a long weekend.
The report found the average worker took 9.5 sick days a year, costing $3,230 per employee, or $340 each working day.
