Have you got a staff sickness & absence management Policy in place?
A good Staff Sickness & Absence Management Policy will make clear exactly what is expected from the employee if they need to take time off work - explaining how the employer will monitor and manage absence.
If an employer has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or provides occupational health, the policy will also need to include information on those arrangements and how the employee will be supported through occupational health involvement.
The Policy should include the following information:
- How to report an absence to the employer
- When a sick note is required
- Entitlements to sick pay
- Leave for Short- and long-term sickness
- Return to work interviews
- How absence is tracked and monitored
- Review/trigger points for sickness absence meetings
- Reasonable adjustments (under the Equality Act 2010)
There is a lot that needs to go into an Absence Management (Sickness) Policy and it is important to get it right – particularly as it’s easy to fall foul of the law in this area.