Exploring why men and women don't take sick leave equally
Editor’s note: While we recognise the fluidity of gender, for simplicity and to tie into the studies cited, this article uses only the binary terms ‘men’ and ‘women’.
No manager wants to be dealing with employee absence on a regular basis.
But there are certainly times when you’d rather an employee did take time off to recover instead of coming into work.
When used correctly, sick leave is a key part of ensuring a healthy and happy team.
Supporting your employees when they aren’t able to come to work makes it more likely that they’ll be able to contribute meaningfully once they’ve recovered and are back at it.
So it’s important to understand the wider context of absence management, and with that in mind, this article will look at an interesting factor in employee absence: gender.
Why women take more sick leave than men
Studies have long shown a disparity in sick leave taken between genders. Women have been found to take significantly more time off work for illness. The increase is currently estimated at between 42 and 63%.
While levels have varied, women have consistently taken more time off sick than men in the UK every year since 1995.
When we dive deeper into the specific reasons for taking sick leave, some of the differences become even more stark. Women are over twice as likely to take time off for mental health conditions such as stress, depression, or anxiety.
While the factors involved in these disparities are many and complex, caring responsibilities, the menopause, and gender discrimination have all been cited as potential causes.
What can your business do to support women?
Collect data
The first step in any organisation looking to address an issue should be to ensure they are able to collect relevant data. Tracking sickness absence and analysing the data will ensure you can identify trends, spot where individuals might need support, and use data to back up your decisions.
Communicate a clear policy
Next up, talk to your team and ensure they are aware of all the relevant policies. It is in your interest to have happy, healthy employees, and that is more likely to happen if they are able to take time off when necessary.
Read more about the benefits of having a clear policy and what it should cover in this article on absence management. There have been increasing moves to include specific female health issues in such policies.
Spain became the first country to legislate paid menstrual leave in 2023 and others will likely be following suit. Similar provisions for the menopause, endometriosis, and other matters could form the cornerstone of more supportive measures.
As ever, any changes you do make to your company’s policy should be checked by a professional, discussed with your team, and then shared during its implementation. Remember to tell them not just what is changing, but why. Sell them on the benefits!
Improve flexibility
One of the biggest single things you can implement or increase is the flexibility of your working arrangements. Of course, this may not be possible for every industry, but when it is, it can be a huge source of value when it comes to employee satisfaction.
In fact, it can be a make or break factor in employee retention, particularly among women who may need more flexibility for caring responsibilities. 72% of women say they’d seek new employment if the option for hybrid working was removed from their current role.
Offering additional options to work from home and adjust shift times, and being cognisant of individual circumstances when discussing sick leave, will help set the tone for a supportive environment where all your employees can contribute their best.
If such changes do mean that your business suddenly has more shift admin, as you track absences, swaps, and adjusted timings, rest assured that Findmyshift’s range of features can help you manage the load.