From a landslide general election to unprecedented weather events battering the country, 2024 is a year that will go down in the history books. But will you remember the take-away business lessons?
BrightHR has crunched the numbers from over one million employees using their HR software to reveal valuable insights on staff absence trends, and advice to help businesses prepare for the year ahead.
Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, comments on the key results:
“This year’s data has given us a real insight into the nation’s absence and lateness habits. One surprising discovery was the soaring levels of sickness absence, which increased 18% year-on-year, or a whopping 7.74 million work hours lost in a year. If this trend continues throughout 2025, we can expect to see another million hours in sickness absence – at significant cost to employers.
“Which international superstar was responsible for the most absences? While Taylor Swift’s UK tour made headlines for all the right reasons, the same cannot be said for Charli XCX’s BRAT tour; sickness absence spiked by 8.5% and lateness hit 25% after her shows. Turns out Swifties really are the most likely to shake it off and get to work on time…
“We’re starting to see a mind shift when it comes to large sporting events. For Euro 2020, sickness absences soared by 232%. Compare this to the 2024 European Championships and we saw a major formation shift, with 22.8% of people booking annual leave and only 4% calling in sick – a real win for employers
“Gen Z appear to be most disengaged, topping the absence leaderboard with the highest overall rates throughout the year. Their go-to excuse of ‘sickness’ shows that employers need to dig a bit deeper to understand what is really going on. Are these genuine absences or are young employees just not feeling it? Understanding the challenges that they face and what drives these absences will help you unlock the full potential of your workforce.
“July, August and December are the months when employees are most likely to be late for work, with traffic topping the table for the number one excuse for Gen Z and Millennial employees. All generations were equally likely to give ‘overslept’ as a reason for lateness, proving we all need our beauty sleep!
“2024 also saw record numbers of expense claims being made, with a staggering 27% year-on-year raise. The lowest value item claimed for was a bike chain costing just 12p, while one employee topped the chart claiming £225,636 for food and drink!
“The weird and wonderful variety of expense claims is something that never fails to surprise us. Topping the chart this year is a £2,251 claim for cat food, followed by £950 for afternoon tea, £6 on a yucca plant and £39.85 on Ziploc bags. Businesses who used our Bright Pop app to manage their expense claims saved an average of £2,119 in taxes.
“In summary, these findings show that proper people management is essential for business. Not only does it increase productivity, but it will also save you time, money, and effort.
“The right HR software can be used as a tool to create a better connection between yourself and your employees. It helps to create a healthy working environment, with highly motivated staff who are honest about the time off that they need.
“Most importantly, it speeds up and streamlines the people management process, saving you time and allowing you to concentrate on what you do best – running your business.”
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