Employee absences are a normal part of HR, but it can become a pain when a member of staff is a repeat offender and keeps calling in sick. This is especially the case for small businesses.
Here are the 5 key tips to deal with this appropriately:
- Keep an up-to-date and accurate sickness record of the employee in question. By tracking their sick days, you have a clear picture and may be able to identify patterns. When you come to discuss this with them, with this information, there won’t be any ambiguity.
- Have an absence policy so you can be fair to your employees, and your business. Things to include could be trigger points if the employee has a certain amount of days off in a certain amount of time. Also implement the need for the individual in question to show a medical note from their GP every time they’re absent.
- Have open channels of communication. Don’t assume the employee is lazy or doesn’t want to work as there could be physical or mental underlying issues. Sitting down with your employee on a 1-2-1 basis will allow you to show you care, whilst offering them a chance to speak. Having a return to work discussion after each period of sickness will make help to confirm with the employee that the management are aware of their sick time.
- Make sure everyone is aware of the sickness policies, including management. If employees know you mean business and won’t accept unnecessary sick days, then absences tend to decrease.
- Don’t be afraid to take action. Often, small businesses, feel they can’t do much against employees who take frequent sick days but that’s not true. By following the correct procedures and demonstrating clear information, you can take control of this type of employee behaviour.
If this is an issue you’re facing with your employees, please get in touch with us for straightforward advice and support: [email protected]