Sickness Absence

BACKGROUND

Employee absence is a significant cost to 90% of businesses according to research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Their latest employee absence survey reveals that on average sickness absence costs employers £659 per employee every year and employee absence costs employers 8.4 working days for every member of staff per year. This represents 3.7% of working time.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

Procedures for managing absence:

At its simplest, managing sickness absence is about knowing the nature and the extent of the problem and then putting simple mechanisms in place to manage it. There are 6 important elements in a basic sickness absence policy with clear procedure:

• Recording sickness absence
• Keeping in contact
• Planning and undertaking workplace adjustments
• Using professional or other advice and treatment advice
• Agreeing and reviewing a return to work plan
• Co-ordinating the return to work process

FURTHER GUIDANCE

http://www.hse.gov.uk/sicknessabsence/

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)