60 second guide to absenteeism
1 min read
Absenteeism and sickness absence costs the economy billions of pounds each year in lost revenue and therefore it is vital to your business resilience, profitability and success that absence is managed as soon as it arises.
First, it is important to have a robust absence reporting procedure in your contracts or handbooks and any failure to comply with the reporting procedure should be dealt with as a disciplinary issue, with actions ranging from a letter reminding the employee about the requirement to comply, moving up to more serious disciplinary sanctions.
Careful records of the reasons for, and date of, absence are vital and return to work interviews should be conducted on each return after absence as a deterrent, and to make it clear that the absence is noted and is subject to a process.
Failure to report any absence at all should be dealt with by reference to unauthorised absence, for which persistent failure to contact the business should again be dealt with under the company's disciplinary procedure.
With regard to sickness-related absence, the way it should be dealt with will depend on whether the sickness absence relates to short periods of persistent sickness for many different reasons, or whether there is an underlying condition, ie, one reason (which may be serious) for the sickness absence.
Employees can self certify their sickness absence for the first seven calendar days and would not ordinarily be entitled to payments of statutory sick pay for the first three days. If the sickness lasts longer than seven days, then you are not obliged to pay sick pay without a valid fit note which confirms the employee is unfit for work.
Longer term sickness absence will often require employers to obtain medical evidence from the employee's GP or an occupational health specialist, specifically where consideration is being given to dismissing the employee for capability due to ill-health.
To avoid claims for disability discrimination in these circumstances, it is also important to check whether implementing any adjustments to the role would be reasonable and proportionate in assisting the employee's return to work, as failure to do so before dismissing an employee for capability due to ill-health could give rise to a disability discrimination claim.
