A cautious estimate shows that the costs connected with a single day of absence from work are NOK 2 500. Based on the total number of days of absence, the costs for Telenor are calculated at NOK 515 million in 2000. Had the rate of absence been the same as in Norway in general, the costs in 2000 would have been of the order of at least NOK 1 billion. The difference is the result of Telenor's systematic preventative and follow-up work in connection with sickness absence.
The main intention of Norwegian working environment legislation is that all employees should be able to go through their careers without sustaining physical or mental injury or illness, and responsibility for this rests with the employer. In co-operation with the employees, the intention is achieved most effectively by the establishment and performance of systematic HSE[!] work adapted to each field of business activity.
Work on sickness absence is of central importance in any HSE system and should focus particularly on the creation of working conditions – physically and organisationally – which prevent illness and injuries. A critical element in all personnel management is therefore to focus on sickness absence. When illness does occur, the employee shall feel assured that attempts will be made to ensure that the absence will be as short as possible. Through co-operation regarding rehabilitation in the workplace, the majority will be able to return quickly to work, even though they may not be able to perform exactly the same duties as before. Projects involving amongst other things extended use of noteself-declaration presented by the employee have also proved to give good results in Telenor.
In Telenor companies, managers, employees and experts from Telenor Occupational Health Service have co-operated actively on the prevention and follow-up of sickness absence with reference to the Telenor's HSE system. Considerable know-how has been built up in this field, with the result that sickness absence as a whole has remained stable for the last ten years, and is now less than half of the national average.
1) Source: The Norwegian National Insurance Administration (the figures relate to absence in excess of the period for which the employer must provide sickness pay)
Statistics calculated by the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) show a steady increase in sickness absence in the period from 1990 to 2000.
