Manage absence and sickness

Measuring and monitoring absence and sickness

Setting up procedures for measuring absence and sickness in the workplace allows you to find out:

• how much working time has been lost
• where absence occurs the most, eg among particular types of worker or department
• how often individual employees are absent
• whether there is a pattern of absence, eg where an employee regularly calls in sick on a Friday

You can examine figures on absence and sickness to discover the scale and nature of the problem. It will also show whether the absence is:

• short-term certificated or uncertificated
• long-term sickness
• unauthorised absence and persistent lateness

Use the information collected to see any trends, eg high levels of absence in a department where motivation is a problem, where an employee covering for others is feeling stressed due to heavy workloads, or where someone is being bullied or harassed.

You can then take appropriate action to improve the situation. For instance, if absence is due to stress , examine the workload and consider reallocating work. This way you can prevent small problems developing into something more serious, and for which you could be held liable.

Return-to-work interviews can be an effective way of collecting absence data. Carried out sensitively, they can help establish:

• if there is a hidden real reason for a worker's absence, eg workplace bullying or domestic problems
• if they are fit to return

Legal requirements

Employers are required to keep information on absence and sickness. However, this information is kept for statutory sick pay purposes only and should not contain reasons for absence.

In order to hold more detailed absence records, eg for the purposes of monitoring absence levels - you need employees' express consent as this information is sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998. You can achieve this by setting out the policy in the terms and conditions of employment.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The need for absence and sickness policies and procedures
• Basic principles of managing absence and sickness
• Measuring and monitoring absence and sickness
• What to include in absence and sickness policies
• Employee illness as a performance issue
• Managing absence problems as disciplinary issues