According to Buck Consultants, who surveyed 600 companies in 25 countries, less than half (46%) that adopted an absence management strategy have reported a moderate to high reduction in employee absence as a result compared with 61% who made an effort to improve morale and engagement.
In the UK 16.4% of employers have fully implemented a health promotion and wellness strategy, while 34.5% have partially implemented a programme that they intend to develop over the next two years. Only 3.6% have no plans at the moment to introduce a wellbeing strategy.
But the survey showed 41% of UK companies do not measure the impact their workplace wellness strategies have on absenteeism.
Adrian Norris, head of Buck Consulting's UK health consulting practice, said: "Even a small incremental reduction in employee absence can produce considerable savings for employers. Worldwide 40% to 60% of organisations are not measuring the impact of these strategies and don't know the extent of the benefits."
He added: "In the current climate, we fully expect employers to increasingly recognise the impact a fully implemented wellness strategy can have on employee engagement and productivity - and tools to better measure return on investment will continue to evolve."
Absence rates fall with attempts to improve morale
Absence is more likely to be decreased through morale and engagement programmes than through absence management systems.
