This session provides you with top tips and issues to consider when dealing with short term sickness absence Gemma Steele also looks at what you can do during a pandemic.

1. Managing short term sickness absence

2. Strategies and tips on how to
•manage short term sickness absence in your organisation, minimising risk
•managing your workforce during pandemic

3. Here are a few key reasons
•impact on patient safety and service delivery
•financial costs
•impact on the organisation – colleagues and patients
•duty of care to employees Remember the employment contract is two way – employees are contractually obliged to attend work regularly

4. CIPD annual absence survey 2013 (public sector)
•8.7 days sickness per employee per year
•just under half of absence is short-term (up to 7 days) absence

5. CIPD annual absence survey 2013 (public sector)
•1/3 absence due to longer-term of 4 weeks+
•increase in absence due to stress – workload most common cause
•cost of absence per employee is £726

6. Make sure you
•follow your policy and regularly review it – is it Fit for Purpose?
•monitor absence rates
•carry out return to work interviews
•identify if there is an underlying health condition
•are absences genuine?

7. •identify if there is a pattern which needs to be dealt with - have they hit triggers?
•use your triggers points to take action
•make effective use of occupational health
•keep in contact with employees during absences - be sensitive and supportive
•keep a paper trail

8. •most common absence management tool – they make a difference to reducing levels of absence and reinforcing your Duty of Care
•ensures you are consistent

9. •essential to identify potential underlying conditions
•opportunity to explain concerns about attendance
•opportunity to identify support that may be required

10. Short-term absence: first formal meeting
•the effect of the pattern of absences on the employee's colleagues, department and the service
•the likelihood of continuing absences and the impact they are likely to have

11. •whether there are changes to the employee's job or redeployment opportunities that would assist in attendance, reduce the effect on colleagues or the service to patients
•whether the employee has a disability and, if so, whether there are any reasonable adjustments that could be made

12. •whether it is appropriate to give the employee a formal warning that their attendance levels need to improve and attendance targets.

13. 1.Does the employee suffer from an underlying condition which could amount to a disability?

14. do you have clear and up to date medical evidence?
do you need further evidence – GP/specialist?
work related injury?
reasonable adjustments exhausted?

15. 2.targets: set, communicated, reasonable, extension?
3.surrounding circumstances
4.impact of absence on service delivery/colleagues

16. 5.alternative employment
6.PHI/Ill health retirement
7.potentially fair reasons for dismissal – SOSR/Capability/Conduct
TIP: Consider was it reasonable to dismiss - band of reasonable responses

17. •communicate with staff about current health risks and ensure staff communication systems are reliable
•advise staff with flu like / D & V symptoms to stay away from work
•treat employees consistently

18. •have contingency plans for staff absence, especially key staff
•familiarise yourself with sickness, absence and dependent leave policies and consider how they need to be modified
•consider arrangements for homeworking where appropriate

19. act promptly
know the absence policy well, and follow it consistently
informed line managers

20. a culture which is open and supportive
keep detailed records and notes of absence
perform your return-to-work interviews
consider disability and as a consequence reasonable adjustments

21. gather appropriate medical information
don’t pre-judge the outcome of meetings
contemporaneous notes

22. We hope you found in useful.
Please get in touch if you have any questions or wish to discuss the topic we covered further…
e gemma.steele@brownejacobson.com
t +44 (0) 121 237 4561