In the past, the problem of sickness absence management has been an extremely difficult one to address. Companies that are succeeding now appreciate that a company’s culture plays a large role in shaping attendance patterns. In turn, a company’s culture and its sickness absence policy is shaped by management.
Show strong leadership and an employer has a good chance of their employees fully engaging with their vision, even if there is an entrenched staff sickness absence problem. Senior management, though, need to ask questions and have information to help them identify objectives and success criteria.
. Commonly held sickness absence myths include believing that they cannot contact employees when they are off sick because that would constitute harassment, that they cannot manage an employee who has a sick note, and that if they make an adjustment to an employee’s job or working arrangements, it is bound to become permanent. Many of the tools EEF offers will help you break down these sickness absence myths.