The real estate sector has seen one of the biggest rises in sick leave over the past year with days off due to illness up by a whopping 67%, the Sick Leave Report 2024 reveals.
The news comes as latest ONS data reveals the number of people in the UK not in work due to long-term sickness has increased to a record high of more than 2.8 million.
PRE-PANDEMIC
Pre-pandemic figures showed 2.1 million people were classified as being economically inactive, which has since risen by roughly 700,000.
The Sick Leave Report 2024 by Access People HR reveals the average UK business reported 128 days of sick leave in 2023 – up 6% compared to 120 in 2022 and up 55% since 2019.
Overall, the number of sick leave days taken in the real estate sector have soared by 67% in the past year, from 57 days of sick leave in 2022 to 95 in 2023 and a growth in absence of 98% since 2019.
The report says this could be partially down to an increase in face-to-face contact between estate agents and customers, as more viewings in 2021 and 2022 were virtual as a precaution for the pandemic.
The research also suggests that those who are more customer-facing, and less office-based are likely to report the biggest growth in sickness absence, since they are less likely to rely on the ability to work remotely.
BURNOUT
However, increased absence could also be down to burnout, stress or a general rise in sickness, either industrially, or on an individual or company-by-company basis.
This, the report says, could be due to employees not using all their annual leave entitlement, with days of holiday taken dropping by 7.6% from 2022-2023.
Charles Butterworth, Managing Director of the People Division at The Access Group, says: “The growth of sick leave in the property industry could be due to a number of factors, such as experiencing more burnout and long-term sickness since the increased return to office based work in 2023, with the most common industries reporting growths in sick leave being less likely to work remotely – namely those in the arts, real estate and retail industries.”
He adds: “Although, a lack of exposure to illness during lockdown and periods of remote working could also be the reason for more people getting sick in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“Regardless, it’s crucial that businesses are monitoring sick leave to identify recurring problems, take action and determine whether an attendance review is necessary.”