Sickness Absence
Absence Management
Employee absence is a significant cost for employers.
Employees are absent for an average of 6.4 days per annum
Absence management helps to support employees to stay in work or return to work when they have been unwell.
Often employers find it difficult to find the balance between providing support to the employee while they continue to work or to assist their return to work and taking firm action to ensure that absence policies are not taken advantage of. Employers should record all correspondence with employees when dealing with absence, such as phone calls and meetings.
A key part of managing absence is the role of line managers. Line managers or supervisors are the first point of contact for an employee when they report an absence and when they return to work. Line managers link the employees to the owners of the business, therefore it is essential that managers develop and maintain a good relationship with employee to manage absenteeism. Employers should provide training for line managers to equip with the skills to have the confidence to consider the wellbeing of the people they manage, while ensuring their working environment suits their needs.
Managers should monitor continuous absence and patterns of absence and implement appropriate procedures when necessary.
While managers have responsibility for absence management, it is imperative that employees are aware of the company’s absence management procedure. Employees should be made aware of this during the induction process.
Sickness absence is either defined as short term or long term absence. Short term is often easier managed and can be dealt with using absence policies, disciplinary procedures and occupational health. It is important for employers to have effective absence policies and return to work procedures in place to form part of an effective attendance management strategy.
Long term absence can be challenging to manage and requires management from both HR and the employee’s line manager. Regular communication, including wellbeing meetings and appointments with OHC can help to manage long term absence.
Don't just take our word for it
We first began to use the services of BeyondHR as a result of a TUPE situation which we encountered during 2011 and since then, we have continued to retain their Human Resource and Health & Safety Management Service. The vast experience and hands on approach from BeyondHR has helped us to deal with a number of challenging issues over the years. The team at BeyondHR are not only a friendly bunch but they have always been willing to go the extra mile in order to achieve the correct result for our business.
Tony Kirkpatrick, Operations Director | River Ridge Recycling
EB Gas engaged the services of BeyondHR over a decade ago and have found the work of the experienced and knowledgeable team to be an invaluable resource. We continue to rely on their practical and hands-on support in relation to a wide variety of HR issues, tailored, where necessary to suit our business and our specific policies. The service gives us the confidence that we are dealing with our employees in a fair manner whilst also protecting ourselves from the plethora of problems that could potentially arise from the mismanagement of difficult HR situations. I would recommend the service to anyone who is responsible for the employment of a workforce.
Kevin Byrne, Owner | EB Gas Services
BeyondHR have been our retained HR Advisors for our Stores and Distribution Centre in Northern Ireland since 1999. Helen, Neil and the rest of the team offer an extremely professional service to their clients and are always on hand to answer a wide range of queries in a timely manner whilst always taking our business needs into consideration. The service that we have received from BeyondHR has been second to none and I would have no hesitation in recommending their services to other Employers.
Enda Keenan, Group HR Manager | Heatons
Youth Link has received human resource management support from BeyondHR since April 2011. The service provided has included development of Employee Handbook, advice and support regarding recruitment and other HR issues arising. This has proved invaluable to the organisation.
Paddy White, Director | Youth Link
Having been a client of BeyondHR since 2000, I very much value the professionalism and dedication shown by all their team members. With the expert and practical assistance we have managed our human resources efficiently within the very recent difficult economic times, through dramatic contraction to now exponential growth. As a business owner faced with a raft of complex H.R. legislation, BeyondHR has given me confidence in dealing with such matters through the provision of legal and workable solutions, and as such, this has allowed me to focus on other important aspects of our business.
Peter Doherty, Managing Director | Garage Door Systems Ltd
BeyondHR provided calm, professional and reassuring advice to help our organisation work through complicated issues. I would recommend them most highly to anyone. They go above and beyond.
Dr Kirsten Kearney, Chief Executive | ESC Films
We engaged BeyondHR from the inception of Bellrock Technology in 2012. As a new CEO I wanted to ensure that we started taking on employees in a professional way as well as correctly managing our employment relationships. BeyondHR provided us with employment documentation that is legally compliant as well as being tailored to our needs and I have peace of mind knowing that I can call upon the BeyondHR team whenever I need practical hands-on HR support. I would recommend BeyondHR to any startup or SME – it is definitely money well spent.
Adam Brown, CEO | Bellrock Technology Ltd
