Half of West Midlands workers are skivers – PwC survey

MORE than 50% of workers in the West Midlands admit to taking at least one day of unauthorised leave from work in the past 12 months, considerably more than the national average.

Research commissioned by PwC on attitudes to absence found 56% of employees questioned in the region admitted to skiving, compared to just one in three nationally.

Family responsibilities (23%), being depressed by work (19%), good weather (14%) and job hunting/interviews (11%) are among the reasons for workers in the region taking unauthorised leave.

Jeremy May, human resources expert at PwC in the Midlands, said: “Absenteeism costs British business around £32bn a year, but our findings suggest a large chunk of this loss is preventable.

“If people are bored and depressed with their jobs, employers need to think creatively how they can get people back in gear. Rather than a sign of laziness, unwarranted absence can mean people are under-used.”

Illness is the favoured excuse for 84% of ‘skivers’ with some even faking symptoms around the office in preparation for a day off. Some 15% sniff at work to back up their excuse, another 12% pretend to lose their voice, while 11% feign oncoming symptoms in advance. The illness of choice though, is one which is difficult to prove: more than half of all excuses (52%) involve gastro-related problems.

28% of workers in the region think they would be more likely to take unwarranted leave if they see their colleagues getting away with it. The effects can be long-lasting, with 65% saying their sick days are more credible if they pretend to be ill for more than one day.

Mr May said: “Employers need to use both carrot and stick.  If it’s very easy to call in sick, or you don’t even need to call at all, then people are more likely to abuse the system.  

“But if there’s more of a process to follow, people are more likely to think twice about taking time out.  Of course if someone’s prepared to don crutches or bandages, there’s less you can do, but clearly there’s a shelf life to such tactics.”