Annual Absenteeism Cost 0 across — employees
Total Absent Days / Year—
Daily Rate / Employee—
Direct Cost (paid days)—
Indirect Cost (multiplier)—
Cost as % of Payroll—
All Calculators
Absenteeism Cost Calculator
Quantify the annual cost of unplanned absences — sick leave, no-shows, last-minute leave — including replacement labour and the team-productivity ripple effect.
Workforce Details
AED
days
Unplanned — exclude annual leave. ×
Ripple effect on team output. * Daily rate = monthly salary ÷ 22 working days. Multiplier captures team-impact.
Your absenteeism cost will appear here
Fill employees, salary and absent days, then click Calculate.
How Absenteeism Cost Is Built Up
Two layers: the paid-but-not-worked direct cost and the team-impact ripple.
Direct Cost
Days × Daily Rate × Employees
Salary paid for days the employee was absent and not producing.
Indirect Cost
Direct × (Multiplier − 1)
Overtime for cover, lower team output, customer issues, manager firefighting.
Daily Rate
Monthly Salary ÷ 22
22 working days per month is the Middle East norm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does absenteeism cost a company?
A combination of paid leave for absent days, the cost of replacement labour (overtime or temp), reduced team productivity while someone covers, and the loss of customer-facing output. Industry benchmarks put it at 3–5% of total annual payroll.
What's a healthy absence rate?
Middle East average is around 4–6 days per employee per year for unplanned absence (excluding annual leave). Above 10 days signals an engagement or health-and-safety issue worth investigating.
Should I include planned annual leave?
No. This calculator focuses on unplanned absence — sick leave, no-shows, last-minute personal leave. Planned annual leave is already budgeted into headcount cost.
Why include a productivity-loss multiplier?
When one person is absent, others either work harder (overtime cost), cover poorly (mistakes / customer issues), or do nothing (idle teammates). The default 1.5x multiplier captures this hidden ripple effect.
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