Sick Absence

Q  How do I manage absences for frequent one days sick absence?

A These intermittent short term absences may be genuine or the employee turning over for whatever reason. Either are disruptive to the business, and have an effect on other employees who must cover. It is important to find out whether the absences are genuine, which would be a capability issue, or the employee is “swinging the leg”, which is conduct and, therefore, a disciplinary issue. It can be difficult to decide on this, so the best option is to have a meeting to discuss the absences and say they must improve. Return to work meetings for any absence are shown to improve absence rates. Often, just pointing out that management have noticed can improve absences but if they don’t you should follow the disciplinary procedure in the first instance. If the employee raises, or you suspect, an underlying health issue, you should follow the capability procedure. Both require the employer to state what the standards of attendance are, and allow the employee to explain and time to improve. If there is a medical reason you should seek a medical report from a doctor.

Care should be taken not to discriminate on grounds of disability or pregnancy related absences.

See more discipline and capability procedures

Q I have an employee who has been on sick leave for several months and I need to manage their absence. I keep getting fit notes every month when the previous one expires, but I would like to contact them to find out when they intend to return to work. Is it OK for an employer to contact an employee while they are on sick leave?

A Employers are often wary of contacting staff when absent from work due to illness, but keeping in touch with absent staff is essential to a good absence management process. There is a fine line between making enough contact and badgering staff while they are supposed to be recuperating and employers should attempt to strike the right balance. Sickness absence policies should state that contact will be made by employers to review the progress of the employee’s recovery but this should not be used to ask them to return to work earlier than their scheduled return date or when that will be if open ended. However, no communication with the employee at all during their absence could leave them feeling isolated, neglected and out-of-touch with the business and may leave them feeling apprehensive about returning. It may even make their condition worse, particularly if they are absent due to stress.

If you need to find out the prognosis and what you could do to assist a return to work, particularly if stress or a disability is involved, you should request a Medical Report from the employee’s doctor or consultant. There is a set procedure for this requiring the written consent of the employee. 

See link to managing sick absence policy.