Workplace Absence & Health Management

1. Workplace Absence & Health Management Intervene early to reduce absence Malene Nielsen, MD AbsenceCare

2. Myths to overcome today • Illness requires time away from work • Stressed employees should be left in peace • If absence is due to a family problem the employee is protected by law • Sick notes are proof the absence is “genuine” • If confirmed medical problem - I can’t dismiss or caution • Line managers can spot the ones “swinging the lead”

3. The importance of early intervention • 50% of absentees who are absent for more than 6 months never return • CIPD has identified that 50% of absence is unrelated to illness. • In Absencecare’s experience, after investigating absence reasons, this figure is closer to 80% • Less than 20% of employees with stress / musculoskeletal problems return to work in the 3rd or 4th week

4. Why intervene early • Helps identify those that are sick and those that are not…. • Shows employees that you take absence seriously & care about their health • Challenges both the employee’s & GP’s perception of fitness for work • Demonstrates to employees that absence can lead to disciplinary action • Prevents absence from becoming reoccurring and long term

5. Can I afford to intervene early • Absence costs between £150 and £350 per day lost • Indirect costs are at least as high as the direct cost of absence • Cost savings can be added directly to the profit of the company • Above average absence levels significantly reduce morale • 76% of OHP interventions in May 2011 resulted in a RTW • For every one pound spent, two pounds is saved through reduced disruption to productivity • Likely reductions in injury compensation claims

6. Who does it • Less than half of organisations measure absence effectively • Only 40% of organisations monitor the cost of absence • Only half of organisations have set a target for reducing absence (Source: CIPD Annual Absence Survey)

7. How and when to intervene early (consistently!) • Solid data recording practices - complete transparency on daily basis • Clear and communicated intervention triggers • Frequency trigger and accumulated length of absence trigger • Triggers identifying causes that may lead to absence • Triggers for automatic OH referral • Triggers to refer to EAP or the deployment of other employee benefits • Easy access to Occupational Health advice with short turnaround times • ROI on a case by case basis • Building the business for paying for treatment privately • MI highlighting non-compliance with policy & procedures • Intervene early when line managers aren’t doing their job!

8. The “acid test” • Is all unplanned absence being monitored and managed? • Have I “removed” all unnecessary unplanned absence? • Is unplanned absence tracking below 3%? • Do we consistently challenge / question the need for someone to be absent from work? • Do I have anyone absent for longer than 3 weeks that we haven’t referred to OH? • Do our line managers have regular review meetings with absent employees on site? • Do I know the cost of absence to the business • Are sick pay costs up or down compared to last year? • Are we paying absentees that we shouldn’t? • How much of overtime and agency costs are down to absence? • Is our client retention affected by our absence levels?

9. Absencecare scorecard

10. If you would like more information please contact us. www.absencecare.co.uk enquiries@absencecare.co.uk 020 7313 4443