January Snowstorms Send Work Absence Rates Soaring

The severe snowstorms the UK experienced earlier this year resulted in employers

all around the country suffering from extremely high work absence rates. With everything from public transport to the major motorways coming to a complete standstill, it was near enough impossible for even the most dedicated employee to get into work.

Although many workers made valiant efforts to make it into the office, they simply could not bypass the closed roads and transport issues that made travel of any sort unfeasible.

According to absence management specialists, FirstCare, Wednesday 7th January 2010 saw more employees staying at home than ever seen before. The extreme weather conditions meant that almost 14% of the UK workforce were unable to leave their homes which left companies up and down the country dealing with escalating work absence rates.

Not only did this mean that many companies couldn't open for business, but it has been estimated that the direct cost of this to the UK economy exceeded 0.5bn per day. For a country still trying to recover from a painful recession, high levels of work absence was not an ideal way to start the year.

Aaron Ross, CEO of FirstCare, made a statement revealing:

"Last year we saw high work absence rates in February due to snow and subsequently saw an immediate increase in fractures and injuries as people made unnecessary journeys and ended up slipping on ice." For this reason, employees were encouraged to only make journeys that were absolutely essential.

All employers were advised to ensure that they were making adequate provisions in order to prevent increased work absence levels in the days following the major snowstorms. This meant that car parks and communal areas needed constant shovelling and salting in a bid to prevent cars from skidding and workers from slipping over.

Despite the dangerous weather conditions, it was feared that many people would still try and make the journey into work due to financial commitments. As a result of this, Aaron from FirstCare stated:

"We are also advising on modifying absence policies for the period of bad weather; given the current economic climate some employees may feel compelled to make inappropriate and potentially unsafe journeys into work to ensure that they get paid."

With the first hints of Spring finally starting to look promising, there is no doubt that employers and employees all around the country are breathing a sigh of relief that any snow for the rest of the year is finally gone for good, and work absence rates will return to normal.

by: Monique Holtman

POST COMMENT

4 Key Characteristics To Know Before You Say I Do Don't Settle For Second Best How to Have Skincare That Appears Like You Have Been to the Spa Uk Visa: A Meaningful Guide To Get Taking Care Of Different Skin Types What is Fair Use? What is an Abdominal Strain Silence: A Place Marker (by Jeff Davidson) Develop Your Skills By Joining Mba Program Pre-mature Anti-fascist Lets Plan Your Weekend City Breaks! No. 11 Missouri rides 16-point fourth past top-ranked Oklahoma The End Of Cannes 2010