Absence Management

Richard Hughes
11th March 2009
Contents

• Absence Management Ethics

• 2008 Data on Absence management
• Causes of employee absence
• Reviewing, Analysing and addressing Trends
• Managing Short Term Absence
• Managing Long term absence

2
Absence management Ethics

Competing expectations within organisation

• Fair and consistent Approach – clear statement on standards

• Explicit management commitment
• Procedure of managing absence that demonstrates rigor
• Employee confidentiality
• Clarity on management of problem absence

3
Absence management data 2008

• “Significant” cost to 90% businesses

• Annual cost £666 per employee or 8 days or 3.5%
of working time
• Employers with less than 100 employees have
lowest average absence 6.1
• Average levels of absence 9.8 public sector
compared with 7.4
• 64% absence < 7 days; 16% 7 days to 4 weeks;
20% 4 weeks or more

4
 Causes of absence

Manual Non Manual

Minor Illnesses* Minor Illnesses*
Back Pain Stress**
Muscular Skeletal injuries Muscular Skeletal injuries

Home/Family Responsibilities Back pain

Stress Home/Family responsibilities

Reoccurring Medical injuries Reoccurring medical other not

/accidents not related to work related to ill health
*Colds, Flu, Stomach upsets and headaches
**Stress related absence continues to rise with 32% of those surveyed
reporting increase in stress related absence

5
Stress

• 1/3 of Employers report that of stress is increasing

• Likely causes – workload management style
relationships at work
• 2/3 of employers are looking into why?
• 50% of Employers looking to manage stress are
using flexible working as part of strategy
• 27% employers use HSE stress management
standards

6
Reviewing absence management

• Do we have a problem ?
– Review
– Analyse Trends
– Interpret and respond

7
Recording of Data – Monthly

• Identify employee
• Where can they be contacted
• Date of first absence
• Cause of absence
• Is the absence work related
• Working days spent absent
• Expected length of absence
• Return to work date

8
Testing the quality of your Data

• Collation of data on individual basis

• If not you who has this responsibility and where are
they within the organisation
• Ensure the circulation and presentation if the data
is made regularly

9
Analysing Trends

• Lost time rate

• Frequency rate
• Individual frequency rate
• Bradford factor
• Sector and geographical variance
• Benchmarking
• Absence patterns – e.g. Short and long term
analysis, individuals, departments, locations and
Fridays and Mondays

10
Trends – and strategy for addressing

• Retention problem underlying absence

• Young female absence
• Past absence patterns
• Negative employee attitude
• Stress
• Family responsabilities
• Travel difficulties

11
Setting a strategy

• Standards
– Attendance is the norm
– Impact efficiency cover quality customer
– Support the genuine to facilitate return
• Clear procedures
– Notification and updating of managers
– Certification required
– What will happen on return to work
– Consequences of not following procedure

12
Embedding your strategy

• Communication
• Recruitment, induction and selection
• Performance Management, Reward and incentive
• Work organisation and job design
• Flexible working policies
• Occupational Health initiatives

13
Managing short term absence

• When does this become problematic

• Is the absence justified on medical grounds
• What underlying causes can be addressed
• What steps to take to improve attendance

14
Addressing Short term absence

• Return to work interviews

• Investigations
• Review meetings
• Occupational Health advisors
• Contact with GP’s and use of medical information

15
Procedure for managing Short term absence

• Full and proper investigation – fact based

• Explore underlying medical
• Prompt management action
• Expectation setting
• Where no improvement consequences that could
follow
• DDA and pregnancy

16
Managing long term absence

• Do you know when they are likely to return to work

• What steps can you take to obtain a clearer prognosis of
return
• What practical steps can you take to help individuals return to
work
• What support and contact is appropriate while they are
absent
• What action should you take as an employer to prepare for
the return to work at the appropriate time
• What support may they require when they do return to work

17
Addressing Long term absence

• Consult fully at all stages and maintain regular

contact
• Seek appropriate medical advice
• Review reasonable options of alternative
employment or other means of facilitating return to
work

18
Communication
Do’s
• Create climate of trust
• Consider training for those
who make contact
• Encourage discussion
about overcoming barriers
to return
• Carry out return to work
interviews
• Keep records of contact
made
Don’ts
• Wait till LTS happen to
create strategy
• Put off making contact or
passing responsibility
• Make assumptions about
situation
• Put pressure on employee
to discuss return
• Mention the pressure on
colleagues
19
Medical advice

• Detail the request for medical report

• Consent
• Refusal

20
Alternative employment and work adjustments

• Consideration of part time basis

• Day work for a role that is shift based
• Consideration of heavy lifting
• Whether possible to move other staff to different
tasks
Reasonableness – size of employer, complexity of
work, cost, deadline pressures and customer
contact

21
….Absence Management

Any Questions???

www.clickhr.biz

22