How can I minimise employee absence?
- Kate Bennett
- Feb 5
- 9 min read
Managing employee absence is not a legal requirement. However, an effective absence management framework will support the health needs of your people. Whilst providing clear and consistent guidance to avoid unauthorised absence or inappropriate use of sick pay schemes.
Staff may need time off for a variety of reasons, from short-term sickness to longer-term health issues.
Strategies for tracking and reducing employee absence and sickness in your organisation
Keeping tabs on employee attendance may seem daunting, but with the right strategies and tools, it can be easier than you think.
In this blog post we will share some strategies to help you tidy up your absence management practices and foster a healthier, more productive workplace.
Why should I track absence?
Before tackling employee absence, its essential to understand the scale of the issue. Analyse existing data to identify patters, common reasons for absence and areas requiring improvement.
Knowing your starting point will help you implement an effective strategy for managing absenteeism in your organisation.
How do I track absence?
Recording and monitoring absence and sickness is a crucial aspect of effective absence management. Here are several methods to help you accurately track and documents staff absence:
HR software – software such as Breathe HR:
“Breathe’s easy-to-use online absence management software gives you the power to better understand your absence record, identify absence problems, and set about resolving them”.
As part of the HR Hero membership we can help you implement this software, including set up and maintenance bespoke for your people and organisation.
Time and attendance systems:
Organisations can use a time and attendance system to track employee working hours, breaks and absences. Employees can clock in and out and you can generate reports based on the data collected.
Self-reporting:
Create a standard self-reporting form for employees to fill out when they are absent due to sickness. The form should include relevant information such as date, duration and reason for absence.
Manual tracking:
Small business may opt for manual tracking using spreadsheets. Create a template with relevant information such as employee name. date of absence, reason and duration. Ensure that managers update the spreadsheet promptly and accurately when absence occurs and the reason for each absence.
Regardless of the method you choose, it is essential to maintain accurate and up to date records to help monitor trends, identify potential issues, ensure compliance with legal requirements and to support your people. It is important to establish clear guidelines for reporting sickness absence, and training managers to handle both short and long term absences consistently across your organisation.
Do I need an absence or sickness policy?
In short, yes.
Even though an absence or sickness policy is not a legal requirement, a well-defined absence policy will set the foundations for a more efficient and productive workplace. Ensure that employees understand what is expected of them and the procedures they need to follow, such as reporting absence, submitting doctors notes or catching up on work on their return. Together with guidelines on how to manage absence in a supportive way to prevent potential legal issues.
What should my absence policy contain?
In creating a well-crafted absence management policy you should:
Understand legal requirements – ensure your absence policies are legally compliant by familiarising yourself with the relevant employment laws and regulations. This will help you avoid any potential legal issues and protect the rights of your employees.
Define types of absence – clearly outline the types of absences your policy covers, such as sickness, family emergencies etc. this helps employees to understand when to report absences.
Establish notifications procedures – set clear expectations for notifying managers or HR of absence. This should include who to contacts, the preferred method of communication and the time frame you require for reporting the absence.
Determine documentation requirements – specify what documentation employees need to provide when requesting leave or returning to work after an absence. This may include fit notes or self-certification paperwork.
Set expectations for return to work – include a return-to-work process in your policy, outlining steps employees and managers will follow when they return to work. This may involve return to work meetings to assess your employee’s fitness to resume work, discuss the reasons for their absence, and identify any potential support needs they may have upon returning, ensuring a smooth transition back to their role while also managing overall sickness levels.
Include interventions to manage absence, such as:
· Return-to-work interviews
· Providing leave for family circumstances
· Use of trigger mechanisms to review attendance
· Disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence levels
· Changes to working patterns or environment, e.g. flexible working
· Employee assistance programme
· Training line managers in absence management
· Involving occupational health professionals
Address unauthorised absences – clearly state the consequences for unexcused absences or failing to follow the absence policy. Be consistent in enforcing these guidelines to ensure fairness and maintain policy integrity.
Emphasise employee support – highlight the support resources available to employees, such as employee assistance programmes or other initiatives. Showing that your organisation cares about their staff wellbeing, promoting a positive culture.
Communicate the policy – ensure employees are aware of the policy by communicating it clearly and consistently. This can involve distributing written copied, discussions in teams meetings or training sessions,
Review and update regularly – routinely review your policy to ensure it is relevant, effective and compliant with changing regulations. The HR Hero membership provides its members with policies and regular updates to these policies to ensure they are compliant and up to date.
A well written absence management policy will set the following standards and expectations for your people to understand:
What to do if they need to take time off for medical appointments
How they should report any absences from work due to sickness
Company expectations for keeping in contact whilst absent from work due to sickness
How they will be paid if they are off work due to sickness
What the company regard as an unauthorised absence and how such absences will be handled
Company approach to short-term sickness absence
That the company might seek a medical opinion in relation to their health and how you might go about doing that
Company approach to long-term sickness absence
The support measures in place for any return to work following sickness
Other reasons why they may need to take time away from work and your approach to them
How can I reduce absence?
Encourage open communication:
Clear and open communication is essential for managing sickness absence in your organisation. Being open and discussing absence policies and providing support to your people through personal or health related issues can significantly reduce absence.
Your people should feel safe to discuss their absence related issues and health needs. Practices such as return to work meetings after absence is an essential tool for effective absence management, that will support the health needs of your people and reduce unauthorised absence and inappropriate use of sick pay.
Foster a positive work environment:
A positive work environment can significantly contribute to reducing employee absence. A supportive work environment, where employees feel valued, supported and respected, leads to higher job satisfaction. Employees who enjoy their work and workplace are more motivated to attend and contribute to your organisations success.
Create a culture of teamwork and peer support:
Team work encourages your people to share tasks and responsibilities, helping to prevent overwhelming workloads. In a team environment employees often feel accountable to their peers. This sense of accountability can motivate employees to maintain good attendance and be reliable team players.
Promote employee wellbeing:
A healthy, happy workforce is less likely to take sick days. Consider offering wellness programmes such as stress management, or access to counselling services, that help employees maintain physical and mental health.
Reducing stress levels amongst employees can help prevent burnout, a significant contributor to absenteeism.
According to Mental Health UK a report in 2024 found that “one in five needed to take time off work due to stress in the past year”
Remember prevention is key, so think about prioritising workplace wellbeing for your people.
Train managers/leadership:
Managers play a crucial role in spotting attendance issues and maintaining employee morale. Provide them with the proper training to identify, address and manage recurring absences. Managers should be trained thoroughly on the business’ policies and procedures in relation to absence. Together with how to conduct a supportive and constructive return to work meeting.
Skilled managers will create an environment that promotes job satisfaction and overall wellness, in turn helping to reduce absence.
Seek external advice:
Managing and reducing absence doesn’t mean you have to go it alone! Seek advice from an experienced HR professional. External input can help you reduce absence and keep your strategy up to date.
A Power Hour with The HR Hero to discuss your concerns in relation to sickness absence and how to manage this will get you on the right track to successfully managing staff absence and reduce sickness in your business.
Absence Case Study
The HR Hero has recently worked with Gold HR Hero Membership client, Warrior Doors, on an ongoing project to manage sickness absence across their organisation.
Warrior Doors is a Birmingham based manufacturing company, with circa 60 employees, that were experiencing high levels of absence amongst their people.
The HR Hero worked closely with the organisation to monitor and manage absence, successfully reducing one employee’s absence from over 54 days absence in one year to zero!
This had a positive impact not only on the organisation itself, with increased productivity and morale but also on the employee themselves.
What do I need to know when someone is off sick?
Staff taking time off work because they are ill is an inevitable part of running a business and often cannot be helped. Staff may need time off for a variety of reasons, from short-term sickness to longer-term health issues.
As an employer it’s crucial to understand your legal obligations to ensure that your actions align with current regulations and the rights of your employees, when they are off sick/ absent.
Self-certification vs fit notes:
An employee can self-certify” if they are absent for up to 7 days (this includes weekends). This means that an employee can tell you they have been off sick and not well enough to work without providing any evidence.
If an employee is off sick for more than 7 days they will need to provide you with a fit note from their doctor/health care professional.
Government guidance for employers on fit notes explains this further.
Statutory and Company Sick Pay:
When an employee is off work due to illness, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid instead of an employee's salary. SSP starts on the fourth day an employee is off work (the first three days are unpaid) and can be paid for up to 28 weeks. After 7 days of absence the employer is entitled to demand a 'fit note' signed by a doctor or health professional. If an employee is entitled to SSP, it will be taxed and National Insurance contributions will be deducted. The amount of SSP is set by the government.
It is even more important now to get on top of sickness absence in your organisation, ahead of the proposed changes being made by the Government in the Employments Right’s Bill. Whereby SSP will be paid from day one of an employee’s absence.
Employers may also decide to pay Company or Contractual Sick Pay, in addition to SSP.
Conduct a return-to-work meeting:
Whilst not a legal requirement a successful return to work strategy can create a welcoming and supportive environment for your people returning from sickness absence, helping to reduce further absence, together with reducing unauthorised absence and inappropriate use of sick pay.
According to research by Aviva – “74% of employers feel their company is good at supporting employees back to work after long-term sickness absence”.
For more information on how to conduct a return to work meeting and some key steps read our previous blog.
Conclusion
By implementing these strategies, your organisation will be better equipped to track and reduce employee absence. An effective absence management policy is the heart of this and can lead to improved productivity, higher employee satisfaction and an overall healthier workplace culture.
With The HR Hero membership and our 5 step Employment Lifecycle model, we’ve got everything you need to manage your people effectively, whilst protecting your business.
If you need immediate HR resources to effectively manage absence and sickness in your organisation, then download our managers toolkit today, by clicking here:
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