From this week, we're starting a series of 'Ten Points' on common HR management issues. Coming up soon in this series will be ten points on recruitment, discipline and contracts but to start things off, we're sharing our top ten points for managing absence. There'll be a different point each day and we'll be sharing these on social media as well.
Point One: Get An Absence Policy
Develop an absence policy and use it. You will find that once you introduce a policy for monitoring and you stick to it, absence will reduce. If you have a policy and don’t stick to it, you could be treating employees unfairly.
You need to ensure that you have a clear definition for short-term absence and a definition for when someone crosses over into long-term absence, as the procedure for managing both will be different. Don’t be too prescriptive in your policy as you may find that this hinders you. You need to ensure that the policy is communicated to staff and to line managers as well so that all parties know what to expect. It’s human nature for people to forget the intricacies of policies until it actually affects them but this shouldn’t put you off the initial communication of, and the rationale for, the introduction of the policy.
We can help you develop your absence management policy and handle the subsequent introduction of the policy to your staff. Just get in touch for a no-obligation discussion.