Written by Heidi Wadsworth | 31st August 2022

One of the challenges you’ll face as an employer, or line manager, is managing employee absence. The average employee is off work for 6.9 days per year (excluding holiday) according to the CIPD Absence Management Survey.

Employees, of course have legitimate reasons for absence such as illness, maternity and paternity leave or bereavement, but you might also have to deal with an employee who has an unauthorised absence.

Here’s some advice from our team on how best to manage employee absence.

Refresh your absence policy

An absence policy not only ensures your line managers have a clear process and procedure to follow when dealing with absence, but also ensures consistency across the business, which can prevent allegations of unfair practice or discrimination.

Your policy should cover the steps that an employee and manager will take in the case of absence, including instructions on how absences are authorised, details of contractual sick pay employees will receive and when they need to provide a fit note from their GP.

Is a text or email acceptable for employees to call in sick? Is there a cut-off point? Ensure it is clear in your policy how employees should notify managers of their absence. In most cases, asking your employees to phone in before a certain time of day has a positive impact on reducing absence.

It’s also important for line managers to have training and guidance around your absence policy and how to communicate it with employees.

Know the law around absences

Perhaps the biggest risk when it comes to absence, is a possible discrimination claim.

In a case of repeated short-term absences or long-term absence, you must follow a fair procedure which will usually include a series of warnings before you consider dismissal.

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers are obliged to make reasonable adjustments to support employees who have a disability – including ‘hidden’ or ‘invisible’ conditions, which could mean letting an employee have time off work to go to appointments or to rest.

Short term absence

After a short-term absence, (an absence lasting less than four weeks), we advise you communicate with your employee, making sure they are ok and comfortable with being back at work. Let them know they can talk to you about any issues they might be facing and make sure they are aware of the measures you have in place if they need support, such as adjustments to their working hours or 1:1 time with a manager.

Conducting a return-to-work interview can also identify the reason for the employee taking time off.

Employees are required to give employers a fit note if they are off for more than seven days in a row, from a GP or health professional. As of 1 July 2022, a wider group of health professionals are able to give out fit notes including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and pharmacists.

Long term absence

Long term absence is usually defined as lasting at least four weeks and can be challenging to manage – the longer someone is off, the harder it can be for them to return.

You should sensitively keep in touch with absent employees and have formal return-to-work procedures in place for those returning after prolonged absence. Awareness of potential disability discrimination is crucial, and you should have a disability leave policy that treats absence linked to disability separate from sickness absence.

More and more people are facing a long recovery from Covid, one in 10 experience symptoms after 12 weeks or longer, meaning there is a pressing need  to ensure that those who need work adjustments or job modifications (including reduced hours or a flexible working pattern) are able to access them to facilitate a return to work.

Monitor absence

Monitoring employee absence can help you identify any underlying problems an employee might have – such as mental or physical illness or issues at home. This will then help you determine how you can provide ongoing support.

Left unchecked, an employee may feel unsupported, and they could consider leaving your business. We suggest monitoring and recording each absence and the reason for it, to uncover trends or patterns.

If you suspect an employee’s absence is not genuine be careful and sensitive when making any allegations without clear evidence. Cases should be fully investigated – especially if another employee has raised concern about their colleague’s absence. Again, there could be an underlying issue that you may be able to help them with.

 

If you have a healthy workplace culture, where attendance is praised and sickness absence supported, this can help to ensure illegitimate absence is not tolerated.

Seeking HR advice before taking action is recommended as this will help you to avoid potential legal pitfalls and resolve issues quickly.

Managing a successful return to work

Line manager support and engagement with the return-to-work process is an effective way of reducing both long term and short-term sickness absence.

You should show empathy, understanding and consideration for all employees in the team and maintain this while an employee is out with long-term absence. Line managers have an important role to reply in maintaining regular contact with employees and initiate any support options that might help them get back to work.

When an employee is fit for work, you should meet with them to discuss their return to work and support them with any adjustments you can make. Employees returning from long-term absence are likely to be nervous about returning to work and any potential change that may have taken place that may affect them or their role. A return-to-work interview is an opportunity to discuss any further treatment or adaptations to their work, working environment or working time.

How to ease employees back into the workplace is covered in our Absence Management training course. You will also learn how to complete effective Return to Work Interviews and how to utilise Occupational Health provisions for advice.

 

In short, effective absence management is vital including having an overall policy for dealing with long term and short-term absence so that employees know their entitlements and your business is protected in the event of a dispute.

Whether you need help putting an effective absence policy together or need to deal with an urgent problem, our experienced consultants can help. Contact us at info@realityhr.co.uk or 01256 328 428.