Information on working days lost per employee due to illness in the Cabinet Office and its agencies is published each year in “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service”. The latest publication for calendar year 2004 was announced by ministerial statement 15 November 2005 and copies were placed in the Libraries of the House. The following table details the approximate total cost of working days lost to the department and its agencies in years 1997 to 2004.
Cabinet Office and agencies are committed to managing sick absence effectively by making sure that managers proactively manage sickness absence and that they have the tools and training to do so.
Working days lost per employee Average basic salary (£) Estimated cost of total days lost (£) 1997 6.6 15,155 932,214 1998 6.1 15,480 945,958 1999 6.8 15,550 971,398 2000 4.6 15,850 858,717 2001 5.7 16,400 838,411 2002 4.8 16,980 940,375 2003 4.2 17,770 1,034,924 2004 3.6 18,890 957,496 Notes: 1. The figures are based on Cabinet Office and the agencies that were attached to the Department and reported returns at the time of each report. 2. The estimated cost of total days lost is based on the average annual salary figures used in the report “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service”.