Absence management has never been as important as it is in recent years due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19. In 2021, the sickness absence rate in the UK rose to 2.2%, the highest it’s been in a decade, with the coronavirus accounting for almost a quarter of sickness absence. The same report from the ONS also states that about 149.3 million working days were lost in 2021 due to sickness or injury, equivalent to 4.6 days lost per worker.
Types of Workplace Absence
Absence at work fits into three general categories:
Planned
Employees can officially file for leave well in advance for a variety of legitimate reasons. There is statutory leave for holidays and the different types of parental leave when workers welcome a child into their family. Employers can provide extra leave for other purposes such as taking medical or legal appointments, and for the simple purpose of taking a break from work to avoid burnout. As long as employees go through official channels to schedule their leave, this shouldn’t be an absence management issue.
Unplanned
There are instances where employees suddenly have to be absent. They can contract an illness or get injured then have to miss work, for their own well-being, and in some cases for the well-being of the rest of the workforce, such as when a worker gets an infectious virus. A loved one may have passed, and so the employee may go on bereavement leave, which is a legal right in the case of a parent who loses a child. Travel disruption may also be a legitimate reason, as bad weather can make commutes dangerous. Absence management must take into account unplanned absence due to sickness or injury to provide support for the employee and mitigate the chances of repeat occurrences.
AWOL
Any other type of absence where the employee does not report for work without reason is an absence management concern. Steps must be taken to address the situation as soon as possible, lest it becomes a habit and affects operations.
Developing an Absence Management Process
If you don’t already have an absence management process, here are actions you can take to address the potential problems that come with workplace absenteeism.
Clear and Robust Absence Policies
Employees may not be taking the time and effort to officially file for absences if there are no policies in place. Lay down protocol for when a worker can’t make it in for the day. Prescribe communication channels where they can contact an assigned individual if they are going to be absent. Give them a reasonable time window for when they can notify your company that they won’t be reporting in for work, such as an hour before their shift if they get sick or have an emergency.
Record, Monitor, and Review Absences
While there can certainly be a direct and easily observable impact when a particular employee is absent for a day, it would be difficult to fairly assess exactly how much absences affect your company in the long run without actively tracking absences. It becomes very difficult to accurately tell if the performance of an individual or their department is affected by absences if you don’t have the data. Nor will you have concrete proof that your current absence policies are working without absence records in hand. HR software and services can help with recording absences for review and analysis, which is useful for creating and revising policies and practices.
Return-to-Work Meetings
Outside of holidays, absences that cover multiple days should be considered an important concern. Whether it’s because of a serious medical condition or a personal crisis at home or work, it’s crucial for companies to have official communication with employees that take such absences. Scheduling meetings on the first day an employee returns to work allows discussions about their problems and what the company can do to support them, such as adjusting work arrangements for an employee that has been diagnosed with a chronic illness.
Role of Line Managers
As staff that are directly responsible for overseeing employees in their day-to-day tasks, line managers have a critical role to play when it comes to absence management. They know exactly how the absence of one person on a team can affect production for a day, which in turn can affect production further down the road. However, it is not a role that can be simply carried out without adequate training and support. Line managers have to be guided to foster a culture of trust, which facilitates better communication between employees with absence issues.
Providing Workplace Health Services
For employees experiencing long-term sickness, where it has started to affect their ability to come to work for lengthy periods, employers need to look into occupational health services and employee assistance programmes (EAPs). Such services support employees with their return to work and ability to continue working without compromising their own well-being. Taking this route for absence management also supports employers in ensuring they are aware of and can implement any reasonable adjustments required if an employee has a disability. It is crucial to distinguish between sickness absences and disability leave.
Consider Alternatives
Employers need not be stuck in a binary situation where employees with legitimate reasons for long periods of absence either have to do their originally assigned work or not do any work at all. You can shift their working hours to be more flexible where for example, instead of having to come to the office from Monday to Friday, they can have days where they work from home. You can also have such employees take longer days to fulfil their contractually obligated hours and have other work days off. Other alternatives to consider are temporary reassignments, or in extreme cases, permanent redeployment. Keep in mind though that when it comes to reassigning or redeploying workers, issues such as contracts and payment have to be reviewed and revised to accommodate the changes.
Disciplinary Actions
Once every other measure has been exhausted and it is clear that an employee has violated absence policies, disciplinary action can be taken to address the problem and deter repeat offences. Offending employees have to be given fair warning on the consequences of absenteeism. Procedures must be strictly followed and comply with the Equality Act regarding disabled employees, so as to avoid claims of workplace discrimination or unfair dismissal should it come to that.
Address Workplace Absence Promptly
Absenteeism is a problem that can fester and severely impact productivity, but it also needs to be addressed sensitively given how it can be tied to legitimate reasons. Organisations have to establish clear procedures and execute them with care to ensure fairness and engender trust. The HR Dept can help you accomplish both goals with our professional absence management services. Contact us today to get started.
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