The ‘rippling effects’ of winter absenteeism

Although this year’s winter chill is only marginally higher than last year’s, workplace absenteeism has skyrocketed.

A new report from HR tech company Deputy shows a 390 per cent spike in workplace absenteeism in the ACT in June this year. NSW and Victoria were not far behind, at 305 per cent and 271 per cent respectively.

Hospitality was the most affected industry, which recorded a 360 [per cent] increase in absenteeism in June 2025 and a similarly mammoth increase year on year in July, the report said.

“Clothing stores experienced the biggest month-on-month rise in absenteeism, up 607 per cent in June and 209 per cent in July, and 18-23 per cent of rostered shifts going unworked,” the report read.

“Each absence has rippling effects on business operations”, Deputy said, which reveals the need to reduce all preventable cases of employee absenteeism.

“To maintain operations, remaining staff took on longer shifts, with average shift lengths increasing up to 1.7 per cent in healthcare, 1.0 per cent in hospitality, 0.9 per cent in services, and 0.8 per cent in retail in June and July.”

Supported employees are healthier

Emma Seymour, CFO at Deputy, believes that HR leaders are responsible for the actions of their employees for the most part, through the quality of training that is provided to them.

“Resilience isn’t built in the moment of crisis – it’s built in advance”, Seymour said.

There are several strategies that Seymour said can be instrumental for a positive shift in employee attitudes, “cross-training teams, smarter rostering, using scheduling tools that create flexibility, and backing a culture where people can stay home when unwell without guilt”.

The impacts were felt in essential services as well.

“Healthcare absenteeism rose by 54 per cent in June and 64 per cent in July 2025, after a two per cent decline in both months in 2024”, Deputy noted.

These trends show that these jumps were felt across the board. As a result of the absenteeism of their colleagues, the attending employees at these workplaces suffer carry-over effects.

“Retailers are left short-staffed on busy days, construction crews take on extra loads, and service teams stretch themselves thin just to keep up,” Deputy said.

Providing “vaccination support or even something as simple as providing masks” are some ways that Seymour believes will help to alleviate the burden of sickness in the workplace.

Rising rates across all states

The growing trend of employee absenteeism stayed consistent throughout all states except for Tasmania. “While winter conditions varied across the country, absenteeism rose sharply in all states,” Deputy said.

“Because at the end of the day, the strength of our economy rests on the health and security of the people who keep it running,” Seymour added.

This nationwide growth is reflective of increased levels of, what the report found, “influenza and respiratory illness rates”, which were higher than the five-year average.

“Beyond operational challenges, the ripple effects impact workers’ income stability, business profitability, and community access to services, all factors influencing Australia’s broader economic resilience,” Deputy said.