The Social Performance of Business

The Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFI) conducts an annual study of the social performance of businesses to identify trends within this field. This year focuses on how businesses prevent and handle employee absenteeism due to sickness. There has also been follow-up on efforts to get disabled people into employment. Absenteeism due to sickness, and prevention of this, are related to many factors, such as sector, use of new management and organisational forms, as well as level of education in the employee group. The qualitative part of the study shows that the dialogue between manager and employee is pivotal, both for prevention of absenteeism due to sickness and for employee retention. There has been a slight increase in the proportion of enterprises with at least one employee with disabilities. The study also shows that a smaller proportion of enterprises are involved in social performance, but on the other hand these enterprises are making greater efforts. The study data was obtained from a questionnaire survey among 1,994 Danish enterprises, conducted in the last quarter of 2008. This study has been financed by the Ministry of Employment.