Managing sickness absence

The attendance of your employees – or often the lack thereof – can be a real cause for concern.

Whether it’s persistent bouts of short-term sickness, or an employee off longer term, it can be tricky to manage.

Longer term absence needs to be dealt with efficiently

If an employee is off long term with an ongoing health condition, there are lots of factors to consider.

You might have questions such as:

  • Can I contact someone if they are off sick long term?
  • How do I know if and when they will come back to work?
  • What if the employee’s condition is terminal?
  • What if the employee is off with ‘work-related stress’?

All very reasonable questions. It could also be that you are considering dismissal on the grounds of long-term ill health, which can very quickly become a discrimination claim if the correct process has not been followed.

We can guide you – along with the support of medical professionals – to manage cases on long term absence in a way that minimises disruption to your business. But that also take an entirely human, sensitive approach to supporting your employee.

Short-term absence effects the whole team

If you have an employee who frequently takes a day off, this can be incredibly disruptive to the rest of the team.

This places an unfair burden on staff and can lead to a real discontent within the team. And then you may end up with a grievance on your hands!

We can support you to manage bouts of short-term absence effectively, based on the individual facts. It could be a work-shy employee, who just calls in sick whenever they don’t feel like coming in. In which case, you have a conduct issue on your hands. Or there may be an underlying issue, for example, alcohol abuse, or another health condition.

Whatever the situation, we can help. Let us assess the current situation and advise you on the options you have, as well as their associated risks.