How to Manage Frequent Short Term Absences at Work
Tip 1: Have an Absence Management Policy
This is the second post in a six part series on How to Manage Frequent, Short Term Employee Absence at Work.
In the first post we covered my Top 5 Tips for Managing Frequent Short Term absences.
1. Absence Management Policy
2. Record Keeping
3. Notification and Evidence of Incapacity
4. Returning to Work
5. Reviews
This post goes into detail about what should be covered in your Absence Management Policy.
Having a well-considered and detailed Absence Management Policy is the first step to laying a solid foundation for managing employee absences and for helping employees know where they stand. Your policy can include the following:
- Attendance at work is a basic contractual requirement and absences are only acceptable for genuine and valid reasons.
- Differentiate between short term and long term absence, certified and non certified and have clear documented processes for each.
- Clearly state employee responsibilities and management responsibilities.
- Your notification procedure for the first couple of days and thereafter.
- The requirements regarding medical certificates; details and frequency.
- The procedure for returning to work following absences.
- What will trigger the disciplinary process.
- Your ability to send an employee for an independent medical examination when required
Creating a written policy is great. However, it’s not enough.
A policy is only useful when it is communicated to all employees and like everything else you should always ensure management are trained on its implementation.
It’s always best to have all employees sign to acknowledge that they have read and understood the policy and agree to comply with its terms and conditions.
These are some of the key aspects to include in your Absence Management Policy.
Creating and communicating your policy is the first step to put you in a strong position to monitor, measure and manage frequent short-term employee absences.
We’ll follow on with more detail in our weekly blog over the coming weeks. If you are interested in receiving further information on these tips, please subscribe below and you will receive the other posts in your inbox.
If you need help with managing employee absences, call us at 083-4519335 or contact us here
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information and material contained in this checklist, Jan Harte & Associates does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. This checklist is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be viewed as such.