12th December 2011 Experts warn Scottish employers face £50 million loss through cold weather work absence

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Workplace absence increased by 125 percent thanks to the recent severe weather and has left employers in Scotland out of pocket to the tune of £50 million in little more than week, according to absence management specialist FirstCare.

 

Analysis by FirstCare has found that workplace absence in Scotland increased by 125 percent between the end of November and start of December due to the extreme weather conditions, which left many employees unable to travel to work, forced to take time off to care for a dependent as nurseries and schools were closed, or suffering from seasonal coughs and colds.

 

FirstCare’s analysis has suggested that the increased absence levels cost employers £33 million last Thursday and Friday (8 and 9 December), on top of losses of £16 million over 1 and 2 December.

 

James Arquette, a Director at FirstCare, said:

 

“Although we would expect the weather to be a factor in levels of workplace absence at this time of year, the suddenness and severity of the weather has really played havoc with employers during the last couple of weeks.

 

“Unfortunately all the indications are that there is more severe weather to come.  This could mean a less than merry Christmas for many employers, who could face even bigger financial losses through the rest of this month and into the New Year unless they adopt working practices to minimise the effects of the weather.”

 

FirstCare has advised that employers should consider the following in order to mitigate the effects of the weather on absence levels:

 

• Have clear channels and methods of communication to keep all employees up to date and informed of decisions
• Identify what activities are fundamental to keeping the service going and what can be adapted, postponed, or even stopped all together to create extra resource to allocate to the priority activities
• Facilitate home-working where practical
• Facilitate accommodation near the work place for critical role holders
• Bring in extra cover/agency staff to increase numbers in high priority departments