Managing sick day ‘entitlement’

The rise of the sick day ‘entitlement’

Sickness absence is notoriously difficult to plan for and can have a considerable impact on the morale of other employees within the organisation and importantly the overall productivity and financial performance of the organisation.

All employees have the right to take time off when they are sick. In fact, it is important employees feel supported to take time off when they need it which is why having effective absence management procedures in place is so important.

Furthermore, employees are now much more aware of what levels of absence are deemed ‘acceptable’ within their organisations and are more knowledgeable on the associated trigger points which may lead to conversations occurring or disciplinary procedures kicking-in. You may even have experienced employees explicitly asking how many sick days they are entitled to each year.

Absence Management

Posted 09/01/2020

There are a couple of levers organisations can pull to ensure they are effectively managing absence for employees that need it and avoiding the challenges potentially created in organisations experiencing higher than average levels of absenteeism.

The first is an absence management policy, this is absolutely vital to ensure consistency in the way employees are treated and to make sure managers are ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ when it comes to absence management - the power of this should not be underplayed.

Absence management is a sensitive area, which Line Managers can often be hesitant to address. Not only does a policy ensure transparency, it gives management the confidence and knowledge to have conversations with employees sooner rather than later.

Secondly, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it” (Peter Drucker) this couldn’t be truer when it comes to managing absence. An effective absence management system can ensure employees are accurately tracking absence and line managers can monitor patterns in situations where recurring absence might be suspected. A system allows line managers to tune into those employees who may need additional support where there may be underlying medical issues. It’s so important employees feel supported to take time off when they need it; presenteeism is a trend which is worryingly on the rise according to the 2019 Health and well-being at work survey researched by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

There is no doubt absence management is a sensitive but absolutely business critical issue. With the right mechanisms in place employers can deal with it positively, ensuring the approach is transparent and well-documented for the benefit of both employees and Line Managers.