Absenteeism costs businesses €1.5bn a year

ALCOHOL has been blamed by employers as the primary reason for 4% of short-term absence from work by their male employees and 1% by female employees, in a survey by employers’ body IBEC.

The survey goes on to suggest that absenteeism is costing business around €1.5 billion, with workers missing almost six days a year on average.

The latest Irish Business and Employers Confederation study, based on 2009 absentee levels, found that the recession had led to a slight fall in the number of days employees missed work.