This document outlines strategies for developing a proactive attendance support program including transparency, accountability, consistency, collaboration, and employee support. It discusses defining the program, capturing its principles, and addressing each employee's unique situation. The program aims to engage employees by assessing accommodation needs, barriers to attendance, and readiness for behavior change. It promotes accountability through training, meetings, and consideration of the whole employee. Collaboration involves teams across the organization and community. A scenario illustrates taking a supportive approach through dialogue can help an employee with attendance issues stay at work with temporary modifications rather than taking an extended leave.

1. Strategies for Developing a
Pro-active Attendance Support Program
Katrina Philopoulos
Manager Employee Health, Wellness & Respectful Workplace
February 2014

2. The Main Ingredients
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Consistency
• Collaboration
• Employee Support
• Enhance Quality
Indicators

3. Transparency
• Employee Survey Results
• Relationship Building
• Education sessions
• Availability on Internet

4. Consistency
• Define the program
• Capture principles and intent of
program
• Individuals are unique
• Variety of factors that affect each
situation

5. Employee Engagement
• Opportunity for consultation with OH
• Assess employee’s accommodation needs
• Identify barriers to workplace attendance
• Assess for readiness for behavior change
• Establishing health SMART goals
• Navigation of health care resources.

6. Accountability
• Training and Education
• Regular Face to Face meetings
• Accountability to the WHOLE Employee

7. Collaboration
• EAP
• Healthy Workplace
• Community Health
Teams
• Workplace Conflict
Resolution
• Behavior Institute
• Your Way to Wellness
• EASE
• Health Care
Professionals
• Union
• HR and Labor

8. Scenario
•
Katrina is a full-time employee. In the past 18 months she has had five
periods of approximately two week absences on paid sick leave. During this
period, Katrina has also developed a pattern of being late for work and off
sick on Mondays or after statutory holidays.
•
Colleagues have noticed that Katrina has become more isolated and has
missed many of her deadlines over the past few months, resulting in coworkers having to pick up her workload. They are becoming annoyed by
this behavior.
•
Katrina’s supervisor has recently met with her to discuss her performance
and absenteeism issues

9. Vignette #1
The supervisor indicated that she was not
pleased and would not tolerate this type of
behavior…

10. The end result…
A couple of days following this meeting,
A couple of days following this meeting,
Katrina brought aadoctor’s note
Katrina brought doctor’s note
indicating that she will be away from
indicating that she will be away from
work for 12 weeks due to stress.
work for 12 weeks due to stress.

11. Vignette #2
•
•
The supervisor takes a more dialogue approach – one of curiosity and non
judgment
Improving employee support: initiating dialogue for employees who may
have accommodation needs

12. The end result…
Temporary modified work
Temporary modified work
arrangement
arrangement
Katrina stays at work
Katrina stays at work