How many of your employees have called in sick today? Any trends or patterns emerging?
Hurray!! We have got through (what some may feel is) the gloomy month of January and Hurrah!! Spring is just around the corner within our very reach. So, why does National Sickie Day fall today, on the first Monday of February? Surely everyone is highly engaged and motivated now the evenings are slowly getting lighter and we are back into the swing of work following the Christmas Break?
Well, Mondays and Fridays are by far the most popular days of the week for sickness absence but it is thought that the first Monday in February is the key date for the highest level of sickness absence rates compared to the other 364 days of the year.
Perhaps it is the fact it is the first Monday following the weekend of payday since pre-Christmas that sends staff on a spending spree and then a bout of depression that they have no money left for the rest of the month or could it be ‘dry January’ has come to an end and it has been the weekend to let loose and party – resulting in some serious hangovers? Or could it be that the New Year has brought about a need to re-evaluate one’s career choices and thus interviews are scheduled for today resulting in employees taking a Sickie?
I like to believe the best in people and trust that most sickness absence is genuine so I was surprised to read a Business News Daily article that stated “More than one-third of workers say they have called into work sick when they were feeling fine!” However, whilst the word ‘Sickie’ suggests absence that is not genuine, the Office of National Statistics shows a general decline in sickness absence rates since 1995. So maybe there is hope yet!
Why bother managing staff sickness absence?
Unexpected absences not only cause operational issues within a business, such as placing more pressure on colleagues or impacting on clients/customer expectations but absence costs your business time and money. Not only management time in dealing with short term intermittent absences but the real cost of recruiting a temp to cover the sickness absence or taking a colleague away from other duties will impact on performance, productivity and therefore profits.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK faces uncertain, challenging times so it is, now more than ever, essential that businesses control their costs. One of those costs within your sphere of control is how effective you manage sickness absence and whether reviewing Company Sick Pay could be an option.
Many organisations are reviewing their current sickness provisions and taking the opportunity to ‘buy out’ contractual sick pay through consultation with employees, offering another benefit in exchange.
To reduce turnover and improve retention rates, a well-known UK business has recently offered its employees a £10,000 bonus if they stay with the Company until December 2023, in exchange for removing the Company Contractual Sick Pay. Sickness absence has been such an issue for the business over recent years that this change to contractual terms is an innovative way of reducing the impact of short-term intermittent absence on the business. Because who will take a sickness absence when they are feeling well if they are only going to be paid Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)?
There are, of course, less drastic alternatives, to managing the wider issues that sickness absence brings an organisation, together with more holistic considerations such as Health and Wellbeing initiatives and looking at the root causes of high absences i.e. engagement levels. What can you do as a business to better control costs associated with absence?
Here are my 5 Top Tips!
1.Have a robust Absence Management Policy in place
Not only is it essential to have a clear, fit for purpose Absence Policy but it is equally important to ensure your managers know how to use the policy, follow the procedures set out and actively engage and support employees who are absent due to sickness.
Depending on the size of your organisation and how problematic sickness absence is, your Sickness Absence Policy can include various tools for managing long term sickness and intermittent shirt term sickness differently. With long term absences you are likely to take a more sympathetic approach than perhaps to short term intermittent absences, especially in cases where the reason for absence varies each time.
- Consider having an Absence Management Flowchart that provides easy to follow guidance for Managers so they know at what point to escalate to the next stage of the process.
- Provide scripts and a toolkit for Managers to enable them to conduct Return to Work Interviews and other meetings to discuss absence.
- Monitor absence through the use of Trigger Points or the Bradford Factor.
- Have a clear process for seeking medical advice from the employees GP or your Occupational Health Provider.
- Ensure you have a provision in your Employee Handbook that provides you with the right to dismiss on the grounds of medical incapacity.
2. Regularly Monitor Absence Levels
Implementing a tool to monitor absence will enable you to identify where the trends are in terms of a) Particular days staff are absent b) Particular departments or teams where sickness absence is higher and C) Any patterns with the reasons for sickness absences.
Quite often it is disharmony or disputes between individuals within a team or department that may present itself with higher absence levels and the most likely reason to state “Work Related Stress” on the Fit Note.
Using an HR system, such as Breathe HR, to record sickness absence is the most effective and quickest way of reporting and extracting the data you need to identify those important trends. It is also a great way of ensuring your data is accurate and retaining employees Fit Notes in a secure way and in compliance with GDPR regulations.
3. Set Clear Attendance Targets
Communication is key to ensuring employees are aware and understand the Company’s expectations in terms of acceptable/unacceptable levels of sickness absence and that they are clear on the Company stance and likely outcomes are if persistent ongoing sickness absence levels are unacceptable.
If you are keen on being completely transparent and consistent for all staff, you could consider introducing Absence Trigger Points or the Bradford Factor as a tool to measure and assess individual employee absence with a view to escalating through the various stages of the process i.e. formal warnings.
4. Conduct Return to Work Meeting
A simple, effective tool that Line Managers can utilise when an employee returns from a period of sickness absence. The Return-to-Work Meeting is a useful opportunity to discuss with the employee the reason for their sickness absence, whether anything work related has attributed to the absence, what the Company can do to support the employee i.e. are there any reasonable adjustments that can be made?
Staff are unlikely to take a ‘Sickie’ if they know they will need to face their manager at a Return-to-Work interview! Equally, though the Return to Work Meeting is a method for providing support to employees who genuinely are absent due to Health matters and provides an opportunity that they can raise concerns about their health and discuss how the Company can support them at work.
5. Train your Line Managers to Effectively Management their Staff Absences
Often Managers are promoted on their technical abilities and not necessarily because they are experienced and qualified people managers. Therefore, as a business owner it is your responsibility to ensure your managers are fully equipped and skilled to manage, often delicate, sensitive matters.
By providing Absence Management Training, not only are you are providing your Line Managers with the knowledge and practical skills to effectively manage absence but through training your managers become more aware of the Employment Law related risks when it comes to managing absence.
Key Considerations When Management Sickness Absence!
Given the complexity of Employment Law and the additional protection some employees have, there are additional considerations, particularly if you are potentially looking to dismiss an employee on the grounds of capability. Perhaps ask yourself the following:
- Are there any underlying causes for the intermittent absences that the employee may not have divulged to you?
- Could the individual be covered under the Equality Act, i.e., for having a disability?
- Could the absence be pregnancy related?
- Is the absence linked to any workplace issues or disputes i.e. bullying and harassment?
If you need assistance with writing a clear Absence Management Policy, support with introducing an HR system to effectively manage Absence in your business or if you need support managing a specific absence case or to provide Absence Management Training to your Line Managers, BluSkyHR has flexible options and packages to suit your needs, including a ‘One Stop Shop’ Absence Management Package.
For a no-obligation chat, please feel free to schedule a call at a time to suit you, using the following link https://bluskyhr.co.uk/contact/ or alternatively email [email protected]