News and features

Fri, 23 Jan 2009

Employers urged to manage absence levels

CIPD adviser stresses importance of careful management for employee absences.

Employers have been advised to monitor staff absences closely, particularly during periods when large numbers of workers are likely to take sick days.

Ben Willmott, senior public policy advisor at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said that businesses should be able to avoid major problems with absence levels by practising good management.

He claimed that employers can keep on top of their absence situation by conducting return-to-work interviews with employees who have taken time off.

Mr Willmott said: "It needs to be recognised that there are certain times of the year when there are more colds and more flu about.

"It is likely that there will be a higher level of sickness absence [at these times], that is accepted by employers."

Work absences reached record levels in the UK last week, with an estimated 12.5 per cent of the working population away from their desks due to sickness, bad weather and extended Christmas holidays.

On January 8th, FirstCare reported that illness had caused over 3.6 million employees to miss work.

"The important thing is employers should ensure that they have got good management data," Mr Willmott continued.

"Managers can also look at any underlying causes behind absence which might not be related to ill health."

According to the 2008 Pan-European Health & Benefit Report from HR consultancy Mercer, many companies do not have access to accurate information about absences among their staff.

The study found although 76 per cent of employers can see data about the number of days off an employee has taken, only 42 per cent are able to identify the cause of absence.

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