The charity sector has seen a 56% rise in days lost to short and long-term illness since 2019, according to a new report.
The research found that the charity sector reported an average of 166 days lost to sick leave in 2022, a rise of 30% on 2021 which saw an average of 128.
The sick leave report by Access People HR analysed the sickness rates of 2,055 businesses from 2019 to 2022. Some 116 were charities.
Charities sector sixth highest in absences
In 2019, the total amount of days lost to sick leave across the 116 charities was 12,345. This increased slightly to 13,224 in 2020. It then jumped from 14,823 in 2021 to 19,294 in 2022.
Most sectors analysed also saw a rise in sick leave rates. Of the 18 sectors studied in the report, the charity sector was the sixth highest for the most sickness absences in 2022.
The sector with the most sickness absences was agriculture, forestry and fishing with 250 average sick days. Recruitment was the sector with the fewest absences with only 13 days on average.
Charles Butterworth, managing director of Access People HR, said: “This report into the status of sick leave in the UK highlights the importance of businesses in the charity industry adopting a robust HR strategy as a first point of call when it comes to reducing sick leave.
“This includes a strong HR system, having clear policies and procedures, and being able to offer tangible support to those that appear to be struggling to taking an excessive amount of sick days.
“This growth of sick leave in the charity industry could be due to a number of factors, such as experiencing more burnout and long-term sickness following the pandemic, resulting in new highs of sickness rates. No matter what, it’s crucial that businesses act swiftly to identify the reasons for sick leave, and if they need to act.”
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