Is absenteeism disrupting your working day?

The UK is experiencing record levels of absenteeism at work. According to government figures more than 33 million working days were lost through sickness last year, at a cost to industry of almost £13 billion. The figure has risen consistently since 1995, when fewer than 19 million days were lost.

This is an all too familiar problem in many workplaces. If you start targeting people without the proper documentation of their absenteeism, the figures you've come up with in your head won't carry any weight before a tribunal. In fact, they would be laughed at. Keeping track of the date and the day of the sickness will help to highlight if any of your staff have "mondayitis" or "fridayitis". You should also ensure that each of your employees fill in a "return to work" form, which details the reason for absence, how many days off were taken, and who they reported the sickness too; make sure they sign the document. If it becomes a real problem with an individual you have hard facts to back up any disciplinarily action.

You might like to offer incentives to stop sick days occurring frequently by offering any employees that do not take a sick day within a six month period a gift voucher or a bonus in their pay (which will be taxable) could be offered. Extending this offer to a year without a sick day could lead to an increased bonus. You should stress though that if people do feel unwell they shouldn't be afraid to call to take a day or two off, after all, you don't want your healthy staff coming down with illness. People getting sick is a fact of life, and your dedicated staff who rarely take time off to recover should be put at ease when they do take time off so when they return, they return fit and healthy and ready to get back to work without worrying they're letting you down.

Sites of Interest: Department of Health