How to effectively manage employee absence through sickness and ill health
With mental ill-health on the rise, it’s now more important than ever that organisations have in place effective processes and approaches to manage employee sickness absence.
Our recent sickness absence survey revealed an average 5.3 sick days lost per employee. Two fifths of businesses also reported an increase in long-term sickness absence. So how do we manage employee absence effectively?
We can help provide effective wellbeing strategies and approaches to help you improve employee wellbeing; increase productivity and drive down sickness absence.
Why is it important to have a strategy to manage employee sickness absence?
Absence from work costs the UK economy £13.2bn a year and, with the average employee taking nearly 6 days sick leave, it is essential for organisations are able to monitor absence and manage absence levels.
We recommend developing an attendance management policy which should cover:
- rules for notifying you of absence and supplying evidence of sickness
- sick pay rules and entitlements
- ‘attendance review procedure’, including pattern of absence triggering review
- approach you will take to managing frequent short-term absence where there is an underlying medical condition
- approach you will take to managing long-term absence
We can help provide effective wellbeing strategies and approaches to help you improve employee wellbeing; increase productivity and drive down sickness absence.
Promoting employee wellbeing and engagement at work
Proactively supporting and promoting wellbeing and engagement at work is essential for all businesses. Your business survives because of your people and their productivity, so why wouldn’t you empower your workforce to be fit, healthy and happy at work?
As a business, you may experience the following issues which you can address as part of a wellbeing strategy:
- Long term absence
- Presenteeism and leaveism
- Mental health issues
- Managing an ageing workforce
- Engaging the next generation