One Day Sickies
Mondays, Fridays, sunny days, during sporting events or school holidays - Have some of your employees had multiple single days' absence from work?
Research by the IRS earlier this year revealed that UK employees have an average of 9 days unplanned sickness absence each year, which equates to approximately 4% of working time. The results also lead to the conclusion that the considerable differences in absence rates across industry sectors, organisation sizes and regional locations, indicate a potential for improvement in absence management practices.
'One day sickies' are clearly not exclusive to the summer months, but as temperatures rise some companies may see an increase in the number of singular one day absences. Managers who monitor absences may also notice that some employees' absences often fall on Mondays, Fridays, sunny days, school holidays or when significant sporting events take place during working hours.
It's not just the loss in productivity!
Unplanned absence inevitably causes disruption, reduced productivity and financial losses. However, absence can also negatively impact on other employees because of the implications for them and their work. If absences are noticeably on 'convenient' days, this can generate resentment and frustration towards both the absent employee and the business for not effectively managing the situation. If left unmanaged, this can lead to an increase in 'one day sickies' across the business as employees are more inclined to try it themselves if their colleagues appear to be 'getting away with it'.
But what can be done?
There are several effective techniques that employers use to discourage one day absences, including:
Promoting forward planning and demonstrating awareness - Reminding employees in advance to book annual leave early for specified special days will encourage employees to forward plan and also demonstrates your awareness of the significance of those days.
Duvet days - Some companies have an official scheme where employees can phone up on the morning that they are due to work and ask if they can take an unplanned day off, usually taken as Annual Leave. In these instances, managers can authorise the day off or alternatively, if resources are already low, the manager is able to refuse the request.
Comprehensive absence reporting procedures - Ensure that the person who receives calls from employees reporting their absences is able to effectively handle the conversations by asking relevant questions (without disrespecting employees' rights to medical confidentiality). This can be achieved by providing management training or alternatively, some larger organisations use external bodies or medical professionals to take absence reporting calls.
Back to Work Interviews - Ensure meaningful Back to Work Interviews are conducted after all instances of absence, even just one day of absence.
Monitoring and Measuring - Ensure all absences are recorded and monitored so that above average and suspicious patterns can be detected early. Point systems can be adopted to categorise and ?weight? certain types of absence.
Absence Reviews - If above average or suspicious patterns are identified, make sure action is taken without delay. The first step is often to conduct an 'attendance review'. During this meeting, amongst other things, it should be checked whether the employee has an underlying medical condition causing the absence that may be protected by the Disability Discrimination Act. Depending on what is identified during this meeting, possible outcomes could include setting attendance targets or making reasonable practical adjustments to working hours or practices. Ultimately, however, if unsatisfactory absence continues and there is no reasonable explanation, the matter should be referred to the disciplinary process.
Finally on a more positive note, we shouldn't forget that some one day absences are genuine, and are symptomatic of conscientious employees trying to keep their absence to an absolute minimum. In these instances, the Back to Work Interview can be used to check their fitness for work, as well as demonstrate care for the individual and appreciation of their commitment to the business.
For further information on how to effectively manage absence in your organisation, please contact Jenny Summers on (01404) 42359 or email jenny.summers@hradvantage.co.uk.
May/June 2007
