Are you looking for guidance to manage an employee absence issue?
Managing employee absence can be one of the trickiest situations to deal with. You want to show compassion and understanding but you have a business to run.
When dealing with employee absence, there are a lot of things that you need to take into consideration:
- How do you handle employees on long-term absence?
- How should you deal with situations when you feel the employee absence isn’t genuine?
- What about lots of odd days of sickness?
- What about when absence is due to a long term health condition?
That’s where our expertise comes in. We can help you navigate employee absence issues.
For more details, see our Employee Absence FAQ
Key Service Features
for Managing Employee Absence
Support from a CIPD qualified HR consultant assigned to your business
Compliant with UK Employment Legislation and the ACAS Code of Practice
Pragmatic approach to get the appropriate outcome with minimal risk
How We Can Help You
There are many different ways that we can help you, including:
- We can be a sounding board and make sure that you are not digging yourself into a hole by doing what you plan to do.
- We can provide you with a plan to follow and the documentation you need. We can be there to guide you every step of the way.
- We can deal with the issue on your behalf. We’ll work with you to agree the approach. Then have the conversations for you and make sure all of the documentation is in place.
And many other variations! We can be as visible or invisible as you like. Whichever approach you choose, you’ll know that the issue is being dealt with in a legally compliant way and in a way that’s aligned to your business values.
“Your services have surpassed any HR company or individual we have worked with, and our consultant has been a lifesaver on so many occasions. I will continue to recommend your services.”
Joseph Gleeson
Director of Operations, Caroline Baker
Employee Absence Frequently Asked Questions
I’m worried I’ve not acted “by the book” with this employee absence matter…
The most common concern when it comes to managing any HR issue, is that something you have or haven’t done was the wrong thing. We won’t say there’s never anything to worry about but, you’re better to face in to the situation and understand the options and best next steps.
Whatever has happened, we can help you. Tell us, with complete honesty, what has happened. We need all of the detail. From here, we’ll tell you the risk and suggest the best next steps. We can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube but there may very well be steps that can be taken that minimise the risk and help move the situation forward positively.
My employee has a condition that counts as a disability. That means I can’t do anything about their absence doesn’t it?
Not necessarily.
You’re right to be concerned in this situation and a cautious approach will be needed. However, just because an individual has a condition that counts as a disability, it does not mean that you need to accept that they never come to work.
When someone has a disability, you are required to make reasonable adjustments. One of these reasonable adjustments may be a need to accept a higher level of absence but it’s not unlimited.
What’s really important when you have an employee with a health condition is that you engage with them, seek to understand their condition, get expert input if you need it and work together to put a plan in place.
Is managing this employee absence matter going to take up a lot of my time?
That will really depend on how involved you want to be. With managing employee absence, we can do a lot of the work on your behalf so it’s possible that it won’t take up a lot of your time.
How can you help me deal with employee absence
The first way that we can help is by providing you with an impartial expert to talk with about the situation. We can provide you with some general guidance and advice on the situation that you’re looking to manage and help you come up with a planned way forward.
What we tell you may be great news and you may discover that you’ve got more options than you thought. However, it’s possible that we’ll need to tell you something you don’t want to hear. Whichever it is, you’ll be well informed and able to make decisions with confidence. You’re much better to get the advice and go forward with your eyes open than move ahead keeping everything crossed that it will all be OK!
If you want more than advice and guidance then we can be a lot more involved. We can liaise with the employee on your behalf, take care of referrals to Occupational Health if they are needed, make sure everything is documented and free up your time and head space. We’ll liaise with you every step of the way, ensuring that you’re fully informed and making the decisions.
What Do I Do Now?
Support for managing your employee absence can be in place as soon as you need it.
To understand the options for support with an employee absence, use the sidebar to book a consultation, complete the contact form or call us on 0203 535 5750, and our team will start helping you straight away.