| {{B}}
Sickness at work{{/B}} Small firms are counting the cost of sickness among employees. Research estimates that illness cost small businesses in Britain a month and a half in lost {{U}}(21) {{/U}} last year. A recent {{U}}(22) {{/U}} of more than 1,000 small and medium enterprises revealed that last year the average small business lost around 42 days through staff phoning in sick, and that this had a serious {{U}}(23) {{/U}} on 27 per cent of smaller companies. Just over one in ten employees took time off for seven days in a {{U}}(24) {{/U}} Of these, 9.5 per cent were ill for a week on more than one occasion. In Britain, employees can take sick {{U}}(25) {{/U}} for up to a week before they have to produce a medical certificate. Owner-managers were far less likely to be off sick than their staff: 3.3 days on average, compared with the 10 days taken by employees. The head of the research team said, 'The most common {{U}}(26) {{/U}} of absence was minor illness, such as colds or flu, but back strain, fractures and the like {{U}}(27) {{/U}} for very nearly as much. Of greater {{U}}(28) {{/U}} is that more that 40 per cent of employers felt that their employees' sickness may not have been genuine.' Employers can do more to protect themselves by drawing up adequate {{U}}(29) {{/U}} of employment that outline the company's sick pay {{U}}(30) {{/U}} Enhanced sick pay is then at the employer's discretion. |