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This article was first published 11 years ago

Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Last updated on: June 4, 2013 10:36 IST


Photographs: Reuters

Organisations the world over shoulder an enormous cost as a result of employee absenteeism and absence continues to be a key concern for all industry sectors across the globe.

The direct cost of absence is often recorded and reported in annual surveys but the indirect cost, such as paying overtime and calling in temporary staff are rarely reported, yet can exceed the direct costs by as much as 200 per cent.

Let's take a look at some countries where workers fake most sick leaves, according to Kronos Global Absence Survey Report.

...

Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: An aerial view shows vehicles travelling on intersections at night in downtown Shanghai, China.
Photographs: Aly Song/Reuters

China

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 71 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 1

Most managers are unaware of what absence is costing their own organisations in lost revenue and reduced profitability.

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Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: Construction workers erect scaffolding at the site of a commercial building in Mumbai.
Photographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters

India

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 62 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 2

Worse still, senior managers often do not even have visibility to absence trends and absence levels in their organisation making it difficult to address the underlying cause.

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Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: An aerial view of Sydney's Opera House and Circular Quay in the city's central business district.
Photographs: Mark Baker/Reuters

Australia

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 58 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 3

Employee absence comes as result of many things - such as illness, holidays, sick leave abuse, maternity, paternity and parental leave, and stress. And that doesn't include consistent lateness and/or leaving early.

...

Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: Tourists gather in Times Square in New York City.
Photographs: Charles Platiau/Reuters

The United States

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 52 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 4

The hard fact is that when you factor in all the reasons for absence, not just sickness absence, absenteeism can consume as much as 15 per cent of an organisation's payroll.

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Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: Snowboarders ride a chair lift during night skiing on Grouse Mountain with Vancouver, British Columbia, down below, in Canada.
Photographs: Andy Clark/Reuters

Canada

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 52 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 5

That figure reflects only the direct costs of paying absent workers, such as salary continuation and benefits payout.

...

Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: Pedestrians walk along Oxford Street in London, United Kingdom.
Photographs: Paul Hackett/Reuters

The United Kingdom

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 43 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 6

The indirect costs of absenteeism - which include replacement costs such as temporary staff or overtime and lost service or production time - can double or even triple that amount.

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Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: Ice skaters on a rink in Mexico City's Zocalo Square.
Photographs: Edgard Garrido/Reuters

Mexico

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 38 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 7

A survey by human resource consulting firm Mercer indicates that the total costs of all major absence categories, including direct and indirect costs, average 35 per cent of base payroll.

...

Indians among workers who fake most sick leaves

Image: People walk past the Printemps department store in Paris, France.
Photographs: Charles Platiau/Reuters

France

Percentage of workers who admit calling in sick: 16 per cent

Global rank in workers faking sickness: 8

The amount of paid leave entitlement could have a direct bearing on the results. Of all the countries polled, France has the most generous annual leave entitlement at 25 days and also the smallest number of employees calling in sick when they are not.