UK postal workers’ reward scheme to be repeated
A scheme to reward postal workers with new cars and holiday vouchers in a drive to reduce sickness absence is to be repeated after attendance levels increased by more than 10percent, it was learned today.
The Royal Mail said 37 workers won a new car, 75 won GBP2,000 worth of holiday vouchers and more than 90,000 won GBP150 worth of holiday vouchers.
Daily attendance levels increased by almost 11percent after the scheme was launched last August, figures showed today.
Sickness absence levels averaged 5.7percent between August and January, compared to an average of 6.4percent in the same period in the previous year.
This represented an extra 1,000 people at work collecting, sorting and delivering mail.
A similar scheme has now been launched, giving people who take no time off work sick the chance to be entered into a draw to win more new cars and holiday vouchers.
The Royal Mail said it had also improved support for workers, including a new medical helpdesk and better access to health services.
Tony McCarthy of Royal Mail said: “We must both support and reward postmen and women. They deserve it. They do a demanding job to a high standard, day in and day out, in all weathers.
“They have been the force behind the recent improvements in quality of service. The latest figures indicate that our performance over the busy Autumn period was the best in almost ten years, with 91.9percent of first class letters delivered the working day after posting. This package of practical support and `thank-yous’ has made a big difference.”
The Royal Mail would not say how much the prizes cost in total, but said it was offset by the savings made by improvements in sick leave.
Research for the CBI showed that workplace absence was on the increase and cost business GBP11.6 billion each year.
CBI Deputy Director-General John Cridland said: “Companies and organisations are increasingly looking for new and innovative ways of tackling the enormous cost of absence and Royal Mail appear to have made excellent progress.
“Firms fear that as many as 25 million days are lost on a yearly basis through staff taking non-genuine sickness absence or ‘pulling sickies’.
“That accounts for a worrying 15percent of all absence at a cost of GBP1.75 billion the UK economy.”
