1. REDUCING
EMPLOYEE
ABSENCE
5 QUICK WINS
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2. 1. TUNE IN TO YOUR EMPLOYEE’S WORLD.
• Seems obvious?
• Be aware of what is
happening in your team.
• Do you ask non work
questions?
• Who has problems with child
care, elderly relatives or is
going through a divorce?
•
• How will their situation develop
over the next few months?
• Have you got employees with
existing conditions?
• Do you know if they are likely to be
progressive?
• Take a minute to reflect.

3. 2. PLAN SUPPORT AT AN EARLY STAGE.
• Are you readily available to your team?
• Who is most likely to be off in the next 6 months?
• How flexible can you be in making adjustments?
• Use a problem solving approach.
• Speak with the employee regularly and offer support.
• Have you thought about the stress risk assessment?
• The aim is to keep employees at work in some capacity rather than
being on sick leave.

4. 3. ENSURE REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS ARE WORKED OUT.
• The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments to be implemented
within an organisation for employees with medical conditions or disabilities.
• Evaluate what reasonable adjustments are possible in your organisation
should an employee become unable to carry out some or all of their role.
• Is home working an option?
• Just because a role has always been done in a particular way doesn’t mean it
can’t be delivered in a different, but equally effective way.
• Be creative!
• Work adjustments out across the organisation BEFORE employee capability
problems occurs.
• It should form a part of your business contingency planning….does it?

5. 4. WORK WITH OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ADVISERS.
• Utilise occupational health advice to advise you what an employee can
do at work despite their individual health conditions.
• The occupational health adviser will get to know you and your
workplace and is expert in advising on fitness for your type of work.
• Only OH can advise on capability.
• Writing for a GP report will only give you information on the medical
aspects of a condition, it will not provide you with any specific work
related capability advice as GPs have no knowledge of the workplace.
• It will also be costly and take ages to arrive.
• The GP is the advocate of the employee…not you.

6. 5. EVALUATE YOUR POLICES
• Ensure company policies and
procedures focus on preventing
employee absence as well as
managing it when it occurs.
• Include pre absence strategies.
• Have you got an occupational health
policy in place?
• Have you looked at a health and
wellbeing strategy for your
organisation?
• Look at trends and consider
implementing health promotion
programmes to improve employee
health awareness.

7. SUMMARY….
• Manage employee absence as a cost to the business.
• How do you manage other costs?
• Use OH advice.
• You wouldn’t use an electrician to advise you on plumbing!
• Think creatively.
• Have you got a budget for sickness but no health?
• Effective management makes good business sense.
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