Sickness Absence an Analysis of the Problem

Absence from work attributed to sickness, whether on a medical certificate or not, is usually the resultant of several influences, only one or none of which may be medical. Non-medical influences may be personal, geographic, social or industrial; almost any personnel practice may affect sickness absence. This paper presents a brief analysis of influences in sickness absence, with particular reference to a study of 4 occupations in a large Australian undertaking. The analysis includes consideration of the concept of “absenceproneness”, characterization of absence generally and by diagnostic class, and inspection of the associations of absenteeism. Analysis of absence in an undertaking aids Identification of its causes and thus prevention, though both identification and prevention are hampered if the undertaking does not have an effective occupational health service.