A simple to use "How To" guide for Absence Management,

1. Absence Management
Employee absence can have a significant impact on
employers. How can you manage absences more effectively?
What is absence management?
' H O W T O ' G U I D E F O R . . .
We'll be covering...
What absence management is
Why it's important to get it right
The way an organisation chooses to address employee absence can be
dependent on preference.
For example, some organisations focus their efforts on improving
health and wellbeing, whereas others will emphasise disciplinary
procedures for excessive absence.
Support the health needs of employees
Provide guidance around correct absence procedures
Detail appropriate use of sick pay schemes
Factor in the legal positions of unauthorised absence
Primarily, absence management policies are meant to cover how
absence can affect an organisation and the employees within it!
The purpose of absence management
Absence management is designed to:
Employees will inevitably need to take time off for a variety of reasons,
which can range from short-term sickness or long-term health issues.
Did you know?
In 2020, absenteeism cost UK
businesses
£14bn
which is an increase of
£1.3bn
from 2019 figures!
Sources: https://www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/mental-health-related-absenteeism-cost-uk-14-billion-in-2020/131667
https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/health-wellbeing-work-report-2021_tcm18-93541.pdf
The main causes of sickness
absence, according to a CIPD
report:
Mental ill health
Stress
Minor illnesses
Back pain and musculoskeletal
injuries
Recurring medical conditions
The legal stuff
How to manage absence

2. Juggling so many demands in an already demanding job is
hardly going to be easy!
Source: https://www.e-days.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/e-days_Absence-risk-profile-
report.pdf
W h y i t ' s i m p o r t a n t t o
g e t i t r i g h t . . .
Getting absence management wrong can be
costly.
A reactive/negative absence culture
A lack of support around absence as a result of
a reactive/negative absence culture can have
detrimental effects on employee wellbeing and
engagement.
A reactive/negative absence culture refers to a
culture in which employees feel as though they
can't be honest about their reasons for being off
from work, or that they lack support around
absence.
This is often due to an approach that views
absence merely as a problem, rather than an
opportunity to address employee health and
wellbeing properly.
A business that approaches absence as
something that is negative and needs to be
reduced will almost always be contending with
issues around absence, as the culture prevents
employees from being open and honest about
their absences.
Reduced honesty & trust
The cost of poor absence management
Without proactive and supportive absence management, employees are likelier
to lie about their reasoning for absence and are also less engaged.
24% of workers would take sickness as annual leave to avoid having
to answer questions
50% of workers would not be honest about a genuine absence reason
18% of workers feel as though they are unable to trust their boss
Put simply, a healthy employee is generally a happy one.
A business dealing with a high number of unplanned absences is likely to be in
dire need of a re-evaluation of their current practices and priorities.

3. H o w d o y o u g e t a b s e n c e
m a n a g e m e n t r i g h t ?
Be proactive, clear and supportive
A good absence management policy includes:
A clear absence process
When an employee is off, who do they need to tell,
how do they tell it, and by what time?
E.g., is there a HR system where absences must be
logged by 9am?
Details on how absence is measured and recorded
If you don't track absence, you can't manage it..
Whether you use a software or do it manually,
recording absences and being able to spot
patterns is essential.
Return to work procedure
If an employee is returning to work after a long
absence, what is the procedure?
This might be a return to work interview or the
involvement of occupational health services.
Information on sick days and disciplinary action
Are employees aware of their sick pay eligibility?
Employees need to know at which point
frequent/excessive absence will lead to
disciplinary action.
Now we've covered that...

4. A b s e n c e m a n a g e m e n t 1 0 1
It's time to get it right
Employers will be contending with both short-term and
long-term absences, each requiring their own approach and
procedures.
A long-term absence is generally defined
as an absence lasting longer than 4 weeks.
Long-term absence
In these cases, a formal return to work
process is necessary, and an awareness of
the legality when it comes to potential
disability discrimination issues.
A short-term absence usually lasts under a
a week.
Short-term absence
As mentioned in earlier sections, common
reasons for short-term absence are minor
illnesses, mental health, and
musculoskeletal issues.
Authorised absences
Authorised absences include:
• Annual leave
• Maternity, paternity,
adoption, or parental leave
• Time off for public or trade
union duties, or to care for
dependents
• Compassionate leave
• Educational leave
What does the law say?
The law requires employers to
provide staff with information
on any terms and
conditions relating to incapacity
for work due to sickness or
injury, including any provision
for sick pay.
It speaks to your wider culture
In some workplaces, employers are having to contend with
employees abusing the sick pay system. In others, employees are
coping with presenteeism because of a fear of taking time off.
There are necessities for every workplace when it comes to absence
management, and then the optional measures to implement that are
dependent on the business (e.g., flexible working).

5. This act covers areas relating to the employee's contract and includes areas
like unfair dismissal, and the termination of employment on ill-health
grounds, including considerations around:
Conduct: e.g., where absence is persistent, unauthorised or found to be
dishonest.
Capability: e.g., where the employee's absence affects their ability to do
their job.
Other significant reasons: e.g., where the absence negatively affects the
business
What legal obligations do you have?
The Employment Rights Act 1996
The Equality Act 2010
This act covers different types of discrimination and applies to protected
characteristics, such as disability. This includes not treating someone less
favourably due to their disability in any way:
UK employers have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to
accommodate the needs of a person with a disability, keeping their role and
specific needs in mind.
Though the classification of a disability may be unclear for many employees
at first, the Equality Act details that in order to be classified as disabled,
symptoms must be substantial and long-term (lasting 12 months or more).
Generally, it is good practice to always support employees as if they are
protected by the Equality Act when making decisions around work
adjustments.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
This act places a duty on employers to ensure (as is reasonably expected) the
health, safety and welfare of employees, including considerations:
• Where the design and management of work exacerbates the employee's
health condition
• Where a worker's health condition makes them or others more
vulnerable to workplace risks or where the impact of work adjustments
could affect the work and health of others.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Employees are entitled to a minimum of £96.35 per week (from April 2021) in
Statutory Sick Pay from the fourth consecutive day of absence up to 28
weeks. Employees are eligible for SSP if they:
• If they have been off work for at least 4 consecutive days in a row
(including non-working days).
• Earn on average at least £140 per week.
• Have told their employer that they are unable to work before the
deadline set in their contract (or within seven days if this is not specified).

6. Phased return to work
Amended duties
Altered hours
Workplace adaptations
H o w t o m a n a g e a b s e n c e
Return to work interviews
Now it's time to take action!
Return to work interviews are still one of the most
common absence management interventions.
They can act as a deterrent to non-genuine
absence, and smoothly manage people's return.
Return to work interviews act as the perfect opportunity to identify any
underlying issues causing absence, and to enable HR and line managers to
put any necessary measures in place.
Fit notes/fitness for work
When a doctor completes a fit note, they determine whether an employee is
or isn't fit for a return to work.
This is after an absence of more than 7 days in a row.
If an employee is deemed fit for work, there are four options to select from:
If an employee is assessed as fit for work, the employer should arrange a
meeting to discuss their return and support them with any adjustments, and
consider the involvement of occupational health.
For longer absences, however, employers may need to consider other
options to minimise absence and the negative impact it can have.
Flexible working
Flexible working has certainly been on the agenda for
more businesses as a result of the pandemic, yet its
impact on absence is often ignored.
Giving employees greater flexibility around their
working schedule allows greater work/life balance,
which is essential in combatting burnout.
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
EAPs are designed to reduce absence through offering
support to employees, covering a range of personal and
work issues.
Counselling may be offered to address: mental
health, stress management, dating and
marriage, family or work relationships, financial
concerns.

7. Keep in contact
The last thing you want is for your unwell employee to
feel excluded and isolated.
Employers and line managers should make an
effort to make sensitive contact with an employee
in the absence and return to work process.
H o w t o m a n a g e a b s e n c e
Things to keep in mind
Plan and implement reasonable adjustments
When considering reasonable adjustments, planning
should be a high priority. The employee should be
collaborated with to this end.
This is also an ideal time to seek the advice of an
occupational health professional to make
adjustments that could be beneficial in the long-term.
The importance of line managers
Line managers can help returning employees with
access to or information around any adjustments.
They can also encourage fellow employees to offer
practical and emotional support - this is all part of
a supportive case management approach.
A supportive case management approach
A proactive approach to health and
wellbeing at large ties into how
absence is managed in any business.
This means that the involvement of
HR, occupational health, and the
individual employee's line manager is
essential.
This approach means that the areas mentioned above can be addressed in a
coherent, collaborative fashion without any potential lapses in communication.
In a nutshell
Managing absences can be difficult for an organisation, particularly since they
require the involvement of multiple individuals in order to be successful.
However, for employees to return to work safely, they need to be supported
and absence management policies need to be flexible and accommodate
individual needs, include line management, and allow access to any necessary
adjustments.

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