Latest / Best of Business / Katherine Rich: Business NZ CEO on the increase in people taking sick leave

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Katherine Rich: Business NZ CEO on the increase in people taking sick leave · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News talksed be follow
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  Speaker 2: Sick Leave. Would it surprised you to learn averages now
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  Speaker 2: six point seven days per employee per year. Couple of
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  Speaker 2: years ago it was just five point five. It's costing
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  Speaker 2: US four point two billion dollars a year. Catherine Rich's
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  Speaker 2: business in New Zealand's Boston is with us good morning, Good morning.
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  Speaker 2: So when we deal with these numbers, are they sick
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  Speaker 2: or are they slack?
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  Speaker 3: It's possibly a combination. There are many drivers for absence,
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  Speaker 3: non work related illness, caring for a family member. But
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  Speaker 3: employers did report that some people are taking paid leave
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  Speaker 3: when they're suspected for not being actually unwell. But that's
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  Speaker 3: always been the case when we've had humans in the mix.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, is it part of a malaise in this country?
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  Speaker 2: If we're all in a bit of a funky you're
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  Speaker 2: more likely to go, you know what. I can't be bothered,
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  Speaker 2: especially given it's a Monday.
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  Speaker 3: A combination. There certainly has been a change in the
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  Speaker 3: workplace culture, and in some cases employees are doing exactly
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  Speaker 3: what they've been told to do. If you're unwell, don't
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  Speaker 3: come to work and splutter all over your colleagues. But certainly,
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  Speaker 3: with their rise and leave entitlements, we do think that
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  Speaker 3: it's reflected in the jump in the average absence of
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  Speaker 3: six point seven days per employee per year, and that's
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  Speaker 3: a big jump since twenty twelve when it was about
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  Speaker 3: four point two. That has a material impact on the
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  Speaker 3: economy and of course productivity of not just businesses but
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  Speaker 3: the whole economy.
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  Speaker 2: Did the five to ten days sickly by law cause
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  Speaker 2: a problem?
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  Speaker 3: It's meant that in some cases the extra days are
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  Speaker 3: meeting the needs of workers because, particularly with an aging
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  Speaker 3: population and caring for dependent family members, people have been
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  Speaker 3: able to take leave for that. But it certainly has
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  Speaker 3: contributed to an increase in the average amount of leave taken.
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  Speaker 3: But post COVID people really think about their wellness and
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  Speaker 3: they're less likely to soldier on the CULDURL add they're
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  Speaker 3: more likely to think, am I'm going to be productive?
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  Speaker 3: If not, I'm going to stay home?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Because here's the problem. When you look, it's four
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  Speaker 2: point two billion dollars worth of damage to the economy.
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  Speaker 2: That's fine, but you can't what do you do about it.
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  Speaker 2: There's nothing you can do about it is that unless
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  Speaker 2: you're going around knocking on the door and going right prove.
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  Speaker 3: It, it's very hard to measure, and so in terms
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  Speaker 3: of evidence of people pulling sickies, it's always anecdotal. But
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  Speaker 3: it's up to leadership in businesses. Businesses want to have
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  Speaker 3: a healthy workplace. They want people to come along to
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  Speaker 3: work and be satisfied and be productive. So it's a
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  Speaker 3: combination also of what businesses are doing to keep people well,
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  Speaker 3: and businesses are very innovative these days. They've got programs
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  Speaker 3: from vaccinations to fitness programs, gym memberships, a whole range
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  Speaker 3: of things. Working from home home and additional flexibility has
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  Speaker 3: improved retention. But it's a combination leadership and also reminding
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  Speaker 3: people that there is an ambition for all of us
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  Speaker 3: to keep the economy going and make sure our business
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  Speaker 3: is thriven and.
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  Speaker 2: Do Catherine appreciate it. Business New Zealand CEO. There's a
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  Speaker 2: warning in Britain, speaking of which this morning, the number
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  Speaker 2: of second disabled people has increased eight hundred thousand in
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  Speaker 2: the last year and it's a crisis.
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