NEW RESEARCH REVEALS REMOTE WORKERS REPORT LOWER EMPLOYEE SICK-TIME RATES

The Council for Disability Awareness reveals that occupations with high remote work availability experienced lower rates of employee absence – not only during the pandemic but also over the five-year period leading up to it.

The report is based on The CDA's analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data on work absences before and after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, The CDA found that while the overall sick-time rate for 2020-21 shot up more than 50% from the pre-pandemic baseline, employees in high-telework occupations experienced lower-than-average increases.

"We've all seen research on the availability of remote work increasing work satisfaction for some people" said Carol Harnett, president of The CDA. "What we haven't seen surface before in any body of research is lower absentee rates for so many remote-work occupations."

These important revelations provide a benchmark for absences related to employee illnesses, injuries or medical conditions, which is an important measure for employers developing stay-at-work and return

to-work strategies as part of their health and productivity initiatives. "As many businesses bring employees back into the workplace on a full- or part-time basis, some may want to take a deeper look at the benefit of flexible work arrangements in terms of employee satisfaction and absentee costs to strengthen both their businesses as well as their competitive edge," concluded Harnett. •

ABOUT THE COUNCIL FOR DISABILITY AWARENESS:

The CDA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the American workforce understand the impact of absence from work on their incomes and financial plans. The CDA engages in communications, research, and educational activities that provide information and helpful resources to consumers, employers, advisors, and others who are concerned about the impact illnesses, injuries, and life events have on people's incomes and financial futures. For more info, visit disabilitycanhappen.org