Managing attendance and employee turnover

The full and original article was published by acas

For many employees work means a lot more than just their wage. Studies show that work is generally good for health and prolonged sickness absence can produce its own set of problems: isolation, de-skilling, loss of confidence, mental health issues and social exclusion. Keeping people at work and helping them get back to work as soon as possible can help maintain an employee’s health and wellbeing and improve organisational effectiveness. Managing sickness absence can be a challenge for many employers. Why is someone off? When will they come back? Is there anything I can do to help? Research increasingly shows that employers who manage attendance save money and improve effectiveness.

Value the importance of:

• early intervention: if the employee doesn’t call you when they should then why not call them?
• good communication: the way you conduct the return to work discussion is vital
• flexibility: for example, turning down sudden requests for leave may not be your best bet.

Employees may simply take sick absence. Try to be flexible about family and caring commitments and discuss with your staff how the work can be covered. Employees often have good reasons for moving on but if too many employees are leaving, you need to do something about it. So be positive and focus on what you can do to keep your employees at work.