UK Employment Law\ Employer \ Work Absence
Short term absence
Employers are increasingly recognising the costs associated with employees being absent. However, many managers are unsure about the level and nature of the problems they may be facing. Most accept that some amount of employee absence is inevitable. It is often better for someone to be away sick, than to spread an illness in the workplace. One good reason to look after employee well-being is to minimise stress and recurring illness.
If you are suffering from either of these, a good starting point is to see a doctor and then discuss the outcome with your employer. Many employers are now fairly progressive and will offer you counselling to discuss the reasons. Sometimes the route of the problem will be medical and work-related. On other occasions, your home life and personal problems can cause absence from work.
Depending on the company, there may be an in-house specialist available to help you. Discuss the situation with your line manager – he may be able to send you to an external counsellor if one is not provided by the organisation.
If the professional help fails to help you get better and there is no sustained improvement in attendance, then your employer may decide to take disciplinary action. A good one will make it clear to you that it is not a punishment for being ill, but because you cannot fulfil your contract if you continue to be away absent.
Return-to-work interviews
An effective way of managing short term absence is by holding return-to-work interviews. They should normally be conducted by the employee’s immediate supervisor or manager and identify the cause. The interview should also explore any particular problems the employee may have.
This procedure shows employees that their absence was noticed and demonstrates that absence is a high priority.
The interviews need to be carried out after every absence without exception in a fair and consistent manner. Typically, the manager should:
- ask why the employee was absent;
- find out the reasons and if they are consistent with available evidence;
- raise any doubts with the member of staff;
- give the member of staff a chance to explain the absence.
Managers find many pressures on their time and it may be tempting to overlook the interview. For this reason, it may be a good idea to bring in controls that require documentary evidence or sign-off that the interview took place.
