Managing Sickness and Absence at Work
Short term sickness is by far the most common form of absence, accounting for on average 80%. As an employer this can be extremely costly and you should build up a picture of the short term sickness within your company. By implementing a sickness and absence procedure all employees will be aware of what is expected of them. Absent employees put pressure on their colleagues who have to cover their work load.
Absence from work is now costing employers over £600 per employee per year on average.
| Effective tools to manage short term absence | Percentage of effectiveness |
| Return-to-work interviews for all absence | 63% |
| Disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence | 35% |
| Line management involvement with absence management system | 30% |
| Use of trigger mechanism to review absence | 29% |
| Restricting sick pay | 23% |
| Providing managers with sickness absence information | 15% |
| Effective tools to manage long term absence | Percentage of effectiveness |
| Occupational health professional involvement | 60% |
| Line management involvement with absence management | 20% |
| Rehabilitation programme | 19% |
| Return-to-work interviews | 18% |
| Changes to work patterns or enviroment | 17% |
| Restricting sick pay | 17% |
You may wish to seek access to a medical report from the employee's GP in order to assist your decision making process and to determine if their is a disability involved. This will require consent from the employee under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988. Read more. Please contact us for further assistance.
- Take positive steps to improve moral and create a happy working environment
- Keep accurate records of all sickness absences and any actions to be taken
- Provide support and information to employees on reoccurring health issues
- Hold a return to work interview with the employee to check for ongoing problems
Consider as part of your absence policy:
- Health and Safety
- Flexible working
- Job design and the working enviroment
- Disciplinary policies and procedures
- Review of management style
- Training Needs Analysis
High absence levels are often caused by deeper routed problems within an organisation, measuring reasons for absence will help to identify this.
If you have problems with sickness, absenteeism or stress related issues Connect HR & Recruitment Ltd can design, implement and manage your sickness and absenteeism policy for you.
Tackling Stress - Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them. There is a clear distinction between pressure, which can create a "buzz" and be a motivating factor, and stress, which can occur when this pressure becomes excessive. Have you carried out risk assessments for stress? Are you tackling stress with "The Management Standards" approach as recommended by the HSE? Free Download. Do you have staff trained to recognise the signs of stress and anxiety in your organisation?
Mental Health First Aid
One in four British adults will experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year. By training "Mental Health First Aiders" withinn the community and work place MHFA aims to tackle the prejudice and stigma traditionally associated with mental health problems, and to improve the outcomes for those affected and their families, friends, colleagues and employers. Bill Cunningham took MHFA Scotland training in 2006, and became one of the first people accredited as a trainer by CSIP when the MHFA England initiative was launched in 2007. Read more
