How much does absence really cost your company? Do you have systems in place to monitor employee absence? And how is this absence affecting your business?
With employee absenteeism costing businesses in the UK more than £2bn a month, these are all questions that employers should be asking themselves to ensure that the business has the correct strategy in place. This will help companies to effectively and efficiently manage this issue to minimise the impact on their bottom line.
Managing absence is crucial for every organisation for it to be able to deter any growing trend of unacceptable absence. In order to be certain which system is right for the company, a self-critical approach should be adopted, and advice, guidance and resource should be gained from external parties. Quite a number of businesses do not have an absence management scheme in place, so employee sickness is not monitored or recorded. By implementing set procedures, organisations can help both the business and their employees.
Every day, 1.5m people in the UK fail to turn up for paid employment. Therefore businesses must identify best practice procedures to tackle this problem, such as back to work interviews and early intervention that will help to lower absenteeism.
When setting up a scheme there are a number of practical considerations that will ensure all employees understand the policy and that everyone can agree that it is beneficial to all.
Evaluating
Before any decisions are made, senior management should do some research into the system that currently controls absenteeism and assess the positives and negatives in respect of how it is working for the whole company.
It is essential that the system is evaluated as to its effectiveness for both the business, in terms of recording absence and acting as a deterrent for 'sickies', and for employees in terms of how they feel about the current policy. Does it give them support and encourage them to feel valued by the organisation, or do they feel threatened and under scrutiny?
Once the in-depth evaluation is complete, organisations can identify the problematic areas and can fully understand the type of system required to fit their business needs.
There are many influences on the type of system that is most suitable for different firms, depending on the business itself and industry that it works in. These include the size of the company and perhaps the geographic location of employees. For example, where employees are spread over a number of locations, controlling absence can be far more complex.
At this stage it is crucial for companies to investigate the systems offered by specialist absence management companies and the most suitable solutions available. External experts can help organisations better understand the issues surrounding employee absenteeism. Since they will have gained experience working with organisations in similar circumstances and industries, they will be aware of the most advanced, flexible systems that have been proven to work. This means that companies can implement a solution that really works, rather than taking on a lengthy trial and error approach.
Enlightened employees
The art of a successful scheme lies in the heart of the employees. To ensure the system works to maximum effect, employees must feel that it works for them rather than against.
Therefore, the first consideration in introducing a new system is the employees. Once a decision has been made regarding the best way forward, employees must be informed in a direct and clear manner.
Humans are naturally reluctant to change because it takes them out of their comfort zone, even within a working environment. To combat any anxiety and reassure employees, the best way to communicate a new system is through open and honest two-way exchange of information. This should be delivered by their managers as these will be familiar faces, with employees also given a chance to ask questions.
Back up the verbal introduction with a simple written step-by-step guide to the new absence guidelines, providing employees with an outline of what is required of them, as well as reminding them of the advantages of the system. This can then act as a future reference while they are getting accustomed to the system, and helps avoid any misunderstandings.
Eventually, the system will become second nature to employees, and any new starters should receive the guidelines as part of their induction into the company.
One for all
It must be decided whether the absenteeism policy adopted by the company is applicable to every member of staff from all departments, across all levels, so that everyone is treated in the same manner. Only in exceptional circumstances should this policy not be followed. Therefore it has to be flexible, and every situation that could occur should be considered.
If sickness is not managed effectively, businesses run the risk of litigation claims due to an absence disciplinary issue being mishandled or inconsistent. So it is fundamentally important for companies to monitor absenteeism accurately and justly.
An effective system should record and monitor trends in absence, such as unusual patterns or extended sickness to highlight any potential issues. In addition, it is important to record relevant absence to reduce any risk of an impact on customers. In some situations, the level of service delivered by the business could be jeopardised if employees are absent. Using a recording system facilitates analysis, in order to identify where temporary cover is required.
This analysis gives companies the tools to be active about absenteeism and not wait for it to become a major problem. However, businesses should accept that this kind of analysis might raise internal issues that would need to be addressed.
Whether it is a problem with other members of staff, an unmanageable workload creating stress, or not enough work leading to boredom, these issues must be acknowledged by management and steps need to be taken to resolve them quickly. If these work-related concerns are addressed efficiently, guaranteeing discretion where appropriate, the prospect of on-going repeated absences is minimised. In essence, overall absence is reduced by quickly monitoring and dealing with issues.
The policy in place must reflect any concerns that could be raised by employees. Appropriate training will ensure that managers know how to effectively implement the programme.
Showing the ropes
Any system will fail and not get the expected results if not everyone in the company is trained. This is a vital element of implementing a successful absence management scheme. If employees and managers do not know how to use the system, how can it be expected to work?
The first stage is to brief all managers on the practical and reporting procedures implicit in the new system. This will train managers to effectively demonstrate the scheme to their team members and arm them with the answers to many of the common questions asked. The aim is that managers learn the new policy inside out so they can effectively introduce the scheme and know how to deal with all various situations that may arise.
Back to work interviews and other crucial processes are carried out by line managers, so further training is essential here. Managers must be good listeners and friendly, so employees feel that they can talk about any issues that they have.
If managers come across as being uninterested, too busy to listen or threatening, or if they give the impression of not believing the employee, they will not create the sense of trust and respect which is vital in making the employee feel that he or she can share problems with managers.
Using external specialists can help here. Employees may feel more comfortable in openly discussing issues with independent third parties and highlight the real causes of their absence. In addition, external service providers can reduce the time it takes managers to control and monitor absence, freeing up managerial time to spend on other tasks. In addition, qualified medical staff manning call centres can quickly provide medical advice.
Once problems are openly discussed, the company can look at measures to address the issue and provide the employee with support.
Occupational health
Internal occupational health advisers can support on-going physical and medical problems. One of the easiest ways to provide this benefit is for external experts to provide a satellite service, so it is there when required.
Many problems occur because occupational health is provided late or companies inappropriately refer employees. Qualified medical experts should make this judgement. Companies can help here by providing easy access to medical advice.
The most common reasons for absence are musculo-skeletal, general muscle aches, or gastrointestinal sickness and diarrhoea. If early health intervention takes place, employees can make a speedy recovery and return to work in a timely fashion.
With companies providing a flexible and quick service to these health problems, treatment can be given quickly ensuring any health issues are resolved fast. In addition, with easy access to occupational health advisers at work, there is the 'soft' benefit that employees realise they are valued and cared for by the company.
Occupational health advisers can also conduct assessments to ensure many of these potential issues are identified and dealt with before they turn into something more serious. With investment from the business, a successful scheme can drive down the cost of absenteeism.
Successful schemes
In order for an absence management programme to work, all members of the company must embrace it. Managers must invest time in getting the scheme right and not cut corners.
A scheme must work for every member of an organisation. With help from external experts, a comprehensive system can be implemented.
Gerry Callaghan is business relationships director, Active Health Partners, Tel: 020 8834 3990, www.ahp.co.uk
