Farming businesses have seen one of the biggest rises in sick leave over the past year, according to new analysis of over 1,700 firms across all industries.
The average UK business reported 128 days of sick leave in 2023 - up 6 percent compared to 120 in 2022, and up 55 percent since 2019.
Overall, the number of sick leave days taken in the agriculture sector have soared by 11% in the past year, from 230 days of sick leave in 2022 to 255 in 2023.
This is according to the Sick Leave Report 2024, conducted by HR systems specialist Access PeopleHR.
It says one reason for absences in the sector could be down to the work typically being outdoors based and physically demanding, leading to higher risk of injury and allergies.
The industry has also seen sickness leave skyrocket over the last four years, with a growth in absence of 44 percent since 2019.
The research 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.
However, increased absence could also be a cause of deeper issues such as burnout, stress or a general rise in sickness, either industrially, or on an individual or company-by-company basis.
This could be partly due to employees in the UK not using all their annual leave entitlement, with days of holiday taken dropping by 7.6% from 2022-2023, increasing the likelihood of burnout, stress, and sick leave taken as a result.
The industries that saw the biggest spike in sick leave in the last year were real estate activities (67% rise), recruitment (16%), and arts, entertainment and recreation (13%).
