23 Feb 2008 10:45:53 | Carole Spiers
Absent without leave - managing absence in the workplace
According to the Institute of Psychiatry (April 2005), for the
first time, stress, anxiety and depression have overtaken
physical ailments as the most common cause of long-term absence
from work. With sickness absence reportedly costing employers an
average of £522 per employee per year (or an average of 10 lost
working days), there are good reasons to look closely at the
root causes of absenteeism and, where possible, provide early
intervention to support employees in regaining their health.
Short-term absence Short-term absence is usually defined as a
period of absence of less than ten consecutive working days, and
will usually be as a result of the employee suffering from a
minor medical condition.
Persistent short-term sickness is one of the most common
problems employers have to face. Arranging temporary cover when
an employee is off sick may not always be viable, and is often
both disruptive and costly. Many employers therefore adopt the
approach of persuading existing employees to cover for absentees
on an ad hoc basis.
While this may work in the short term, when applied over longer
periods it puts pressure on existing staff, as they struggle to
do their own work in addition to that of an absent colleague.
The effect of this on staff morale can be damaging and
counterproductive. Staff frequently feel resentful if required
to do two jobs - often within the same timescale and for no
extra remuneration. The situation may be further compounded when
the absentee employee returns to work and is met with resentment
from those who have had to cover for them during their absence.
Long-term absence Long-term absence is defined as any period of
absence in excess of ten consecutive working days. Such absence
- particularly where it is stress-related - presents a different
problem for employers. In the short-term they may feel able to
cover an absence internally, whereas in the longer term it may
be necessary to recruit temporary staff who will normally
require induction training and may not necessarily fit in well
with existing teams. Temporary staff will also increase the
salaries and wages bill, as well as involving the payment of
costly agency fees.
After a long-term absence, a phased return to work will most
certainly be recommended, with possible training needed to
support the employee 'back into work'. Where rehabilitation is
not an option, the costs of premature retirement due to
ill-health will also need to be taken into account. Stress
therefore has a quantifiable impact not only on health, safety
and individual well being, but on the operational and financial
performance of the organisation as a whole.
Attendance patterns The link between stress and absence is so
well proven that statistics on non-attendance are often used as
an indicator of stress 'hot spots' within an organisation. These
figures may also be used to measure the effectiveness of stress
management interventions.
In the analysis of attendance patterns, any extended periods of
sick leave will immediately be apparent. Obviously, a
stress-related illness or injury cannot be 'undone', but
positive steps can still be taken by actively managing the
return to work of the employee, and to minimise the risk of any
identified stress reoccurring.
Of even more importance is the monitoring of short-term absences
that may be the first sign of excessive pressure. Typically,
absences that tend to fall into a pattern (e.g. if an employee
is off sick every Monday), or are linked to particular
operational requirements (such as reporting periods) are the
most likely to be stress-related. It's therefore important to
look initially at the pattern of absence, rather than the
reasons given for it.
Stress is typically under-reported as a reason for absence -
especially in the early stages - with alternatives such as
colds, back pain, migraine or general fatigue being given
instead. This under-reporting can occur for a number of reasons.
For example, it may be that the individual has not recognised
that they might be suffering from stress, or they may be
reluctant to admit, either to others or themselves, that this is
the real problem. There is often a stigma attached to stress,
related to a perceived inadequacy or inability to cope. This
exacerbates the problem by creating an artificial barrier to its
identification and management.
Absence management A successful absence management policy will
ideally create a culture enabling any individual to admit to
stress-related ill-health, without feeling that their future
employment or career prospects may be damaged. Clearly, the
earlier that specific sources of stress are identified, the
sooner appropriate action can be taken to reduce the poor
attendance that often ensues.
In order to establish a level of control over sickness absence,
and to implement an effective policy, it's advisable to analyse
employee data including the following: * The number of days lost
per year. * The number of employees taking leave of absence. *
The average length of absence per employee. * The employees and
department(s) with the worst - and best - record of absence. *
Are there any identifiable absence patterns? * Is absence
influenced, for example, by age, gender, the number of years in
the job or seasonal variations? * How many employees take their
maximum paid sickness entitlement in a year? * Who takes the
greater proportion of sick leave or other absence during the
year -workers, staff or management?
The reasons for the various types and frequency of absence
should then be assessed, including the following: * Is a
particular job too stressful or too boring? * Is the work
dangerous or does it require too much physical effort? * Is the
working environment unsuitable? * Is management weak or
over-aggressive? * Is morale poor? * Is there a culture of
taking days off at particular times? * Do working practices lack
organisational support? * Is there a general lack of incentive
and motivation?
When all this information has been collated and analysed, it can
then be used to devise policies and procedures in consultation
with staff representatives that should, when properly
implemented, substantially reduce the incidence of absence.
About The Author Carole Spiers combines three roles of
broadcaster, journalist and corporate manager in the challenging
field of stress management and employee wellbeing.
With 20 years as a top industry guru on stress management and
wellbeing, Carole's energy and dynamism extends to providing
professional comment to media including television (BBC, ITV,
Sky, NBC, CNN), print (Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, trade and
professional journals) and countless radio interviews.
A successful entrepreneur herself, Carole is the founder and MD
of the Carole Spiers Group - a dynamic, niche consultancy, and
the UK's No. 1 provider of Stress Management and Employee
Wellbeing from the shop floor to the Boardroom
A former Chairperson of the International Stress Management
AssociationUK, Carole was instrumental in establishing National
Stress Awareness Day™. Carole acts as an Expert Witness on
Stress Risk Assessment before the Courts, and is the author of
Tolley's 'Managing Stress in the Workplace'.
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