10 tips for managing long-term absence in your organisation

Sick leave is one of the biggest expenses organisations face. It leads to lower productivity levels, increased overtime costs and reduced morale.

Here we look at ten tips for dealing with long-term absence as well as suggestions for preventing illness in the first place.

1) Have clear policies. Guidelines and policies in relation to absenteeism should be made available to all employees. Differentiate between and clearly define what short-term and long-term absences mean for your organisation. Promote the importance of good attendance for both business and employee morale; detail the processes for dealing with long term and short term illness; define terms clearly e.g. warnings, offences that lead to a dismissal etc.

2) Understand the legal requirements for managing absence. Should you think about dismissing an employee for a long-term absence, be aware of employee rights. Consider disability discrimination, sick pay schemes etc. and most of all ensure you have full records of all correspondence with the employee should a claim be brought against your organisation for unfair dismissal.

3) Promote a positive attendance culture. It is recommended that you positively promote good attendance rather than place emphasis only on controlling absenteeism in order to create a good working environment. Train managers and supervisors on best practices in relation to managing attendance.

4) Automate employee time keeping. Introduce a computerised time keeping system that allows you to record and analyse employee attendance, absenteeism etc. and build a clear picture of employee time. Encourage line managers to monitor both long-term and short-term absences and take responsibility for managing and promoting attendance as well.

5) Keep in touch. When an employee is out sick for a long period of time, they may feel isolated. Regular phone calls keep employees in the loop and motivate them to return to work as quickly as possible.

6) Arrange a meeting. It might be necessary to arrange a meeting with the employee who is out sick to determine the exact nature of their illness and the estimated time they expect to take before returning to work. It is not recommended to arrive unannounced as employees may feel it is a "check up" visit. Arrange a suitable time to meet and keep a record of the conversation or send a letter to the employee outlining the discussion and keep a copy for their personnel file.

7) Hold a return to work interview. More and more organisations believe this is one of the most effective ways of dealing with long-term absences. Sit down with your employee and his/her line manager in order to establish reasons for the absence and put positive steps in place to ensure the employee settles back into their position as seamlessly as possible.

8) Introduce Occupational Health Professionals. These professionals can carry out pre-employment health checks, sickness absence referrals and rehabilitation programmes. They can also get involved in stress counselling, health promotion schemes and physiotherapy services.

9) Raise health and safety standards. Ensure all employees are trained in health and safety practices to avoid long-term injuries caused by carelessness at work. Occupational accidents account for a large number of injuries and require employees to take time off to recover.

10 Promote stress free environments. With stress related illness rising, introduce incentives such as yoga, meditation, advisory sessions etc. to help employees deal with day-to-day events that might contribute to more serious stress related issues. Encourage your employees to participate in company sport clubs and activities.

This article first appeared in the online magazine of Softworks Computing Ltd, October, 2003.

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