There are actions you can take to decrease the absenteeism rate within your business and to improve the morale and motivation of a team in this aspect of performance.
Some employers who have experienced problems with employees taking frequent sick leave of one or two days have introduced novel and successful changes to terms and conditions that have overcome these problems.
One such model is to increase the holiday entitlement of all employees by three days and, at the same time, to change the sick leave policy so that employees are not paid for the first two days of any sickness period. This rewards employees with good attendance records and improves attendance in employees who might be too quick to take a day off when feeling unwell.
Note: you should seek professional human resources advice when implementing an attendance policy or changing your current attendance policy, to ensure you stay within legal requirements and accepted good practice.
Take a holistic view of your employees and consider whether the introduction of more flexible working patterns might help those struggling with their work-life balance. For example, around a half of lone-parents work full-time, while those who regularly miss work due to childcare issues might benefit from flexibility in their work patterns.
There may be a number of causes for an employee’s poor attendance record. Each case should be treated individually.
Long-term absence due to ill health or accidents should be managed sensitively and with understanding. A harsh approach will send a very negative message to other members of the team and may damage the reputation of the pharmacy within the community it serves.
Employees who have a poor attendance record or are persistently late could be managed by following established disciplinary processes, but cases of unfair treatment of employees on long-term sickness absence are regularly heard by employment tribunals. So before managing this type of issue, take suitable advice from a human resources professional.
