SICK employees who still go to work cost the Scottish public sector tens of millions of pounds more than those who stay at home, an expert has warned in today's Herald newspaper.
Fred Best believes "presenteeism is the new absenteeism" because biting austerity cuts means more and more people turn up for jobs even when they are unfit to do so. He warns those who do not stay home are now costing employers one-and- a-half times as much as those who do.
The article also quotes from a UNISON survey on this issue. It found one in four said they had worked while sick over the last month and that 60% had done so over the last year. Some 27% of those who did so cited fears of repercussions from their manager, but most said they had gone in sick because they did not want to let down colleagues.
UNISON's Dave Watson and Fred Best are both speakers at a MacKay Hannah conference 'Tackling Absenteeism In The Public Sector In Scotland: Prevention and Health Promotion' on Thursday in Edinburgh. Dave will focus on the myth of the public sector sickie culture and the dangers of presenteeism, particularly in the health and care sector.
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