4 Ways To Handle Absences At Work This Year
Absence is costly for any business. Monetarily it is believed absence is going to cost in excess of $17 billion per annum. However, unexpected absences lead to other challenges, as work has to be delegated to other employees and greater strain is placed on those who are present. Knowing how to manage unplanned absence is one of the most important things. Keeping that in mind, read on to discover some top tips on absence management.
Accountability – You need to have a robust policy in place that ensures all absences are accounted for. This is something the team manager should be responsible for. Irrespective of the employee’s level within the business, all team managers must be able to account for a member’s absence. In addition to this, you may wish to implement return to work interviews for managers to complete. Employee performance reviews also present a great opportunity to discuss absences with people and to make sure they are accountable.
Communication – It is imperative to communicate with the absent staff member from the beginning of their non-attendance. This increases employee engagement and creates trust between the absent employee and the team manager. By inquiring about their absence from the offset you appear concerned about their wellbeing, just as much as the impact it is going to have on the workplace. Therefore, the employee will be more inclined to keep you updated on when they are likely to be back in work. They may even be willing to help from home. However, if you don’t do this, you risk alienating the absentee by showing little concern for them on a personal level. Moreover, this could come back to haunt you if the absence reaches a more serious stage, such as a tribunal. Make an effort to learn more if it is an ongoing problem, such as hearing difficulty.
Interventions – In some instances it may be necessary to intervene. However, you need to have a clear process in place for this. You shouldn’t simply randomly stage an intervention. Instead, you should identify trigger points that signify the need for one; these can be clinical or managerial. You will also need to ensure they are clearly auditable. Nevertheless, clinical intervention should only be staged for long-term absences. Approximately eight in ten absences occur for less than seven days, and thus to stage a clinical intervention would be costly and more importantly ineffective.
System - Last but not least, you need to make sure you have an effective system implemented so you can assess and collect data. Your system should allow you to view compliances with the policy, attendance cases, and of course absences, in real time. Moreover, you must capture every piece of data as well. If you don’t do this, you are putting yourself in an extremely difficult position if it comes to the point where an absence related tribunal takes place. Storing the data properly is pivotal as well, as you need to ensure there are no data protection breaches.
If you follow the points that have been mentioned, you will be much more capable of managing unexpected absences at your company.
