The start of a new year might mean many things for businesses: time to scale up and expand their team; an opportunity to set ambitious new targets; and a chance to review processes. But it also typically means a surge in absences.

With January marking the renewal of holiday entitlement for many employees, the race is on to book annual leave—meaning that business owners and HR teams are snowed under an avalanche of holiday requests.

And if that wasn’t enough, instances of sickness and lateness rise vastly too meaning more admin burden is piled on…

Figures collated from HR technology provider BrightHR’s absence management software, utilised by 100,000 small to medium-sized businesses worldwide, indicate annual leave requests more than DOUBLE in January with a 105% increase.

And employers can expect sickness and lateness to rise too, as we’ve seen triple the rates year-on-year.

Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, shares his insight:

“While you can’t blame staff for being proactive and getting their holiday requests in as soon as possible, it can present issues for those organisations that are still relying on manual spreadsheets and filing paper forms. Not only does the paperwork pile up, but it’s also difficult to guard against potential clashes which can leave employers short-staffed further down the line.

“That’s why employers need absence management software in their toolkits that can track all absence types for their teams, with a simple calendar view and instant notifications of clashes.

“When it comes to lateness and sickness, it’s important to recognise the reasons behind the surge as there may be measures employers can put in place to protect both their business and their teams.

“And software can help you easily identify any patterns too, so if you see an employee is prone to more days off when the weather is gloomy, it could be that they have seasonal affective disorder, or their ailments worsen in the cold. In such cases, providing support through an employee assistance programme can be the ticket to improving staff morale and reducing absences.”

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240109447693/en/

Alexandra Poole
Global Senior Manager of PR, Content & Social Media
alexandra.poole@brighthr.com
+44 7977 744418

Logo

Tags

More Like This

BrightHR Data Hints the Christmas Party Hangover Hits Hard as Employee Absences Surge

Doomsday, a Newly Crowned Monarch, Snoop Dogg, and Barbenheimer: BrightHR Reveal the Staff Absence Trends That Took the UK by Storm in 2023

The Future Is Looking Bright as HR and Health & Safety Software Provider Hits 100,000 Clients Milestone

65% of UK workers cut holidays short, as staff shortages disrupt annual leave, according to survey by Breathe

140% Increase in SMEs Reporting Mental Health Has a Detrimental Impact on Their Business

Top 5 Most Bizarre Expense Claims in 2023, as Revealed by BrightHR

FINEOS Brings Proven Absence Management Solution to the Employer Market

Beyond Blue Monday: International SOS Shares Advice on Addressing Burnout and Crisis Fatigue in The Workplace