Managing Absence At Work

Recent statistics show that an average of 6.6 days are lost each year per employee with a median cost of £609 per employee.  We consider below the main principles for managing absence at work.  

Short and long-term absence at work

When managing absence at work, employers need to distinguish between short-term and long-term absences from work. Where the absence consists of short but persistent and apparently unconnected absences then, after suitable investigation, disciplinary action may be appropriate.

However, this is not a suitable course of action in relation to longer-term sickness absence management.  

Short term absence procedures

There are a number of key steps in managing short-term absence from work. Below are some of our short term absence management best practices and procedures for dealing with employees:

• Establish a clear procedure that employees must follow, for example, the use of a return to work interview with line management and completion of self-certification forms even for one day of absence from work. This will ensure that everyone is aware that monitoring takes place and there is a complete record of absence.
• Establish a system of managing absence at work and regularly review this for emerging trends. Frequent absences could perhaps be evidence of malingering but on the other hand could be a symptom of a deeper problem. Tangible statistics can provide useful warning signals to prompt early action and avoid problems in the future.
• Return to work interviews should always be undertaken by the individual’s immediate line manager, which will ensure that clear reasons for taking time off from work emerge. This will give managers the opportunity to get to the root cause of an absence which could be a symptom of a deeper problem. If the issues are personal and not work related, the employer should decide on the amount of flexibility he or she is prepared to give to enable the individual to address their issue.
• If there may be an underlying medical condition the employer should consider requesting a medical report to support the level of absence; there may be a hidden underlying condition and links to disability discrimination may not be immediately apparent.
•  All employees should be made aware that any abuse of the sick pay provisions will result in disciplinary action. • If there is no good medical reason for the absences the employee should be counselled and told what improvement is expected and warned of the consequences if no improvement is seen.
• If there are medical reasons for the absence, consider any links to the Equality Act 2010, for example, does the absence relate to hospital appointments or treatment required; if so, the employer is required to make reasonable adjustments which includes allowing time off for treatment.
• If the situation reaches a stage where the employee is to be dismissed and there is no defined medical condition, it may be on the grounds of misconduct. Here the employer must be able to show that a fair procedure has been followed taking into account the nature and length of the illness, past service record and any improvement in the attendance record.
• If the employee has a recognised medical condition that is not a disability but the absence rate is unacceptably high, it may be possible to dismiss fairly for some other substantial reason after following the due process. Again length of service and the availability of suitable alternative employment are relevant factors to consider before reaching a decision

Short term sickness absence dismissal

Where an employee has frequent short periods of sickness absence, the employer should ensure that the employee follows its procedures relating to notification and evidence of sickness. Depending on the circumstances, it may be appropriate for the employer to instigate either its disciplinary or capability process.

Long-term absence procedures

There are a number of key steps in managing long-term absence from work. Below are some of our long term absence management best practices and procedures for dealing with employees:

• absence procedures, monitoring and return to work interviews are as important as in the case of short term absence it is always prudent to gather medical advice to assess whether the employee’s condition amounts to a disability and also the capability of the employee to undertake their role going forward
• it is important to be specific about the information required from the medical report for example the nature of the illness, the ability of the individual to undertake their role, having provided a detailed description of responsibilities, the length of time the illness is likely to last, and any reasonable adjustments that would ease the situation
• upon receipt of the medical evidence a process of consultation and discussion should take place with the individual (welfare visit) subject to any recommendation of the doctor
• it is important to listen to the employee’s proposals for their return to work if the cause of the illness is work related, the root cause should be investigated. Employers should discuss ways to reduce the influencing factors, for example, increased support, training or reallocation of duties. Could the employee return to work on a staged basis or on a part time basis for a short period?
• ensure all steps are recorded in writing to confirm what is expected of the employee and also what steps the employer is going to take, so there is no confusion and all actions taken are seen to be reasonable
• If the employee is to be dismissed it is likely to be on the basis of capability, however care will be needed to ensure all the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 have been considered and to demonstrate that a fair procedure has taken place.

Long term sickness absence dismissal

If an employer reaches the point where dismissal is contemplated they should invite the employee to attend a formal capability or ‘disciplinary’ meeting, informing the employee of their right to be accompanied and warning that dismissal is a possible outcome.  Any subsequent dismissal would usually be with paid notice.

If an employee on long-term sick leave is given a warning or dismissed at any point, it is important that they can appeal against this decision.  

Absence from work without permission

Occasionally you might find yourself faced with a situation where one of your employees is absent from work without explanation and without permission. They simply fail to turn up for work. The absence might be for just a day or two or – in the worst case – you might never see them again.

As with all disciplinary and dismissal issues, make sure that you have a proper process in place and that you follow it to the letter. If you don’t have a procedure for dealing with managing absence at work that was not authorised by staff or any other staff issues, get in touch and we’ll talk about how we can help you set up the processes that you need.  

How we can help in managing absence at work

Please contact us if we can provide any further assistance or additional information on managing absence at work. We will work with you to formulate a sickness absence policy which sets out the long-term sickness absence policy’s purpose and scope and also sets out expectations for managers and employees.