Small firms and business startups need to ensure they have a company sickness policy and improve the way they communicate it to their workforce if they are to get on top of the problem of staff absence.

That‘s according to a business advice survey by workplace consultancy Croner, which reveals a wide discrepancy in between what employers and employees view as acceptable reasons to call in sick.

The business advice survey found that 91% of employers felt that cold and flu was a suitable reason, as opposed to 81% of employees. Similarly, 77% of employers considered migraines to be a reasonable reason for calling in sick compared to 65% of employees.

The business advice research also claimed that one in three staff exaggerate sickness to get time off work, suggesting that as well as having to cope with fraudulent cases employers are failing to let their employees know what is an acceptable reason for failing to come into the office.

“The business advice surveys have highlighted a real discrepancy over what employers and employees believe to be acceptable reasons for calling in sick,” said Gillian Dowling, employment technical consultant at Croner.

 

“Employers should implement a comprehensive sickness policy which should clearly set out the procedures for recording and reporting sickness absence and managing short and long-term absence,” she said. “This policy should be communicated to all employees at suitable times, for example when a new employee attends an induction.

“Well thought-out and communicated sickness policies will not only reduce unauthorised absences, they will have a positive effect on team morale and the overall health and wellbeing in the workplace, which will ultimately boost productivity,” added Dowling.

Croner offers the following business advice tips on how to create an effective sickness absence policy:

  • Give primary responsibility for sickness absence to senior managers or HR managers
  • Keep relevant records
  • Consider improving employment conditions to reduce workplace stress and accidents, which are often a root cause of sickness absence
  • Consider improving physical working conditions, ergonomic factors in workplace design and health and safety standards
  • Design jobs to give motivation and provide job satisfaction
  • Provide proper induction and training
  • Check that policies on equal opportunities and discrimination are in place and upheld
  • Consider requiring absent employees to phone in by a given time on each day of absence
  • Notify employees on requirements for reporting sickness absence
  • Meet with employees in an attempt to resolve short-term and long-term absentee issues and continue to communicate with the employee to gauge the seriousness of long term absence in business
  • Ensure that senior managers, line managers and supervisors have the ability to conduct interviews and to support staff as appropriate during and following sickness absence

Sickness in the UK accounts for 21m working days a year, according to a business advice survey by the Confederation of British Industry and insurance company Axa.