Home topics news News News Melbourne Cup set to trigger wave of ‘sickies’ Jessica Stanic October 26, 2009 Melbourne Cup set to trigger wave of sickies The Melbourne Cup could fuel a spike in mid-week ‘sickies’, costing the economy $30 million in lost productivity, an expert warns. Managing director of management consultancy, Direct Health Solutions Paul Dundon estimates a 20-25 percent spike in ‘sickies’ on the Wednesday following the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3 November. The figure is based on the company’s annual call centre logs, which cover up to 30,000 workers for client companies. “Each year, we track the absence patterns of Melbourne Cup Day, and while employees will take off Monday as planned annual leave, there are many who take off Wednesday because of hangovers,” Dundon said. Dundon’s estimate is based on a one percent increase in the absence rate, calculated as rising from four people absent per hundred workers, to five people per hundred workers, and based on an average cost of $370 per worker per day applied proportionately across seven million full-time workers and four million part-time workers. An expert has warned the Melbourne Cup could fuel a spike in mid-week ‘sickies’, costing the economy $30 million in lost productivity, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. According to the reports, Direct Health Solutions managing director Paul Dundon estimates a 20-25 percent spike in ‘sickies’ on the Wednesday following the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3 November. “Each year, we track the absence patterns of Melbourne Cup Day, and