Managing sickness

Why does absence from work matter?

Most employees will need to take sick leave at some point in their working lives. Both physical and mental health problems can count as sickness. Employers must treat mental and physical health as equally important.

Unplanned absence can be unavoidable but gives you no control over work priorities or any time to arrange cover. It can include things such as time off for dependants, but sickness absence is the most common type of unplanned absence that you will need to deal with when managing people.

Effectively addressing sickness absence in organisations can:

• Reduce absence levels

• Improve employee morale and wellbeing

• Boost productivity

• Save money

Measuring absence

Sickness absence is defined by Acas as any period of time when an employee is unable to work due to illness, injury, or other medical reasons. Accurate measurement and monitoring, identifying trends, and exploring the underlying causes are key to effective absence management.

Do I need an absence policy?

Having clear absence policies can help manage absence in organisations. Policies make it clear what is expected of the employer and their employees if they need time off work. Employers must inform employees of terms and conditions relating to sickness or injury, including sick pay.

Absence policies should cover how planned absence is dealt with:

• Holiday

• Maternity, paternity, adoption, or parental leave

• Time off for medical or hospital appointments

But also, absences that can’t be planned in advance:

• Sickness

• Time off for dependants

• Time off for bereavement

• When there's extreme weather or travel disruption

For some areas of absence, there will be a requirement to follow legislation:

• Statutory sick pay (SSP)

• Fit notes and proof of sickness

• Time off for dependants

How do I manage short-term absence?

Return-to-work interviews can help early identification of short-term absence. They also enable managers to start a dialogue about any underlying issues causing the absence. Promoting a positive attendance culture, while emphasising that genuine sickness absence will be supported, can help to ensure non-genuine absence is not tolerated.

Data protection

Organisations should consider data protection rules and confidentiality if they're recording medical information about employees. For example, if you're recording the reasons for employees' sickness absence.

• Be able to give a reason for keeping this information

• Make sure you only share it with relevant people