Why taking a 'sickie' could a be a thing of the past

By Merill Haseen

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YOU may have heard the words 'Duvet Day' a lot recently, but they don't refer to a bedlinen sale at Debenhams. Rather, they're a way of reducing stress and rewarding employees.

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The idea is that, in an effort to reduce absenteeism, some companies allow their staff staff to take extra, paid days off, just because they are too tired/hungover/stressed to get out from under the duvet.

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In this country we take an average of 7.8 days off sick a year, and, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, one in three of all sick days taken have nothing to do with ill health. So, employers are having to think of something to beat absenteeism.

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Text 100 is a PR company�that gives its 40 employees two Duvet Days a year, and they have proved very popular, reducing absenteeism. Staff tend to take them after Christmas parties.

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Another PR company, August.One Communications, also gives its staff the opportunity to take a 'duvet day' as part of its strategy to combat the growing problem of stress at work.�

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Combating stress is now very important for British companies. It costs UK businesses more than �4 billion, according to Professor Cary Cooper of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).

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He claims that businesses are demanding a high level of loyalty, but�offering employees little security in return.

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Professor Cooper also believes that there is a lack of balance between home and work life. 'Two-thirds of households with two adults have both of them working.�Britain's working hours are the longest in Europe and the second longest in the developed world.'

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Other strategies to beat absenteeism include:

• One London agency allows staff to take long weekends once a month in addition to their holiday allowances.
• The 400 staff of a food company in Norfolk are automatically entered for a monthly draw if they have a spotless attendance record. Those who turn up every day for six months split a �50,000 bonus.
• A London company offers a massage day every month, with a masseur in the office. It also pays for a day of 'pampering' at a health and beauty club for staff who have performed well.