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My sickness absence levels are too high

Sickness absence often leaves everyone feeling frustrated. The individual who is sick, the manager trying to cover the work requirements and colleagues filling in the gaps. Not to mention the high cost to the company.

Ill health is often unexpected leaving the individual feeling unwell, vulnerable and possibly worrying about the security of their role as well as the financial implications of their absence.

However, with a clear understanding of the businesses expectations and processes this may help all stakeholders during this event. Morale is also improved as both managers and employees can see that the company is focused on resolving sickness absence and ensuring the workplace is a fair and healthy place to work.

A proactive approach is very helpful in the management of sickness absence as well as ensuring the skeleton of the system is in place. This ensures the steps are followed as soon as they should be. The sickness absence skeleton has 5 main functions:

1. Creates shape

Management understanding & commitment
Awareness & training

2. Allows movement into and out of work

Notification of absence
Evidence of ill-health

3. Provides protection

Confidentiality
Discrimination / Equality Act

4. Generates actions required in supporting ill-heath

Managing absence
Sick pay
Return to work interviews

5. Provision of support

Referral to Occupational Health
Reasonable adjustments

Normalising the sickness absence process can help reduce the associated stigma of ill health. Helping individuals come to terms with their condition sooner, focusing on their recovery, including treatment, rest and/or rebuilding self-confidence. Facilitating employees back into productive employment as soon as reasonably possible.

One of my employees is struggling and needs additional support

In today’s busy lives we’re on a treadmill that doesn’t allow us much time to stop, think and reflect on how we’re doing consequently health concerns often go unnoticed. Being proactive saves the company money in the longer term, as avoidable costs associated with presenteeism, sickness absence and accidents are prevented.

The human body is perfectly designed to be on ‘high alert’ to protect us from danger but unfortunately we haven’t fine-tuned our ‘switch off’ button to allow time for us to recharge. Like everything in this world – including our devices – we need time to recharge.

In occupational health we deal with individuals who are off work due to sickness absence. I often think to myself if only they had ‘listened’ to their symptoms earlier and accessed help and support sooner then maybe their suffering and the associated cost to the company, could have been reduced or even prevented.

There are many ways to get help for both mental and physical health problems. By talking about the problem helps reduce worry and facilitates the decision process as what to do next and allocating resources accordingly.

Could workplace activities affect employees’ health

Work forms an important part of most individuals lives and facilitates so many opportunities for us and our loved ones. It is important the work we do doesn’t have an adverse effect on our health and wellbeing. Awareness of associated risks helps implement safe systems of work and appropriate control measures demonstrating due diligence by the employer, reducing the risk of litigation.

Health surveillance

Health surveillance is the medical tests, investigations and questionnaires that help ensure our wellbeing. This identifies early warning signs of possible disease. If any symptoms are identified, appropriate recommendations are given to avoid/prevent progression of a work-related condition. We also provide support in occupational disease management, diagnosis and reporting.

A useful starting point is a Health Surveillance Risk Matrix which looks at all work-related activities, possible health risks and if there are any legal requirements to monitor any adverse effects.

Fitness for work assessment

This will assess the employee’s fitness for a specific job. Fitness is assessed against the hazards and demands associated with the job and their likely effects on the individual. This type of assessment is a ‘health risk assessment’ which requires a professional occupational health practitioner’s opinion on fitness for work.

There is a lot of stress at work

Stress in our everyday lives helps us meet our daily challenges as well as motivating us to achieve our goals. However, when things get too much it can have a negative effect on our mood and ability to function and maintain productive employment.

The difference between good and bad stress.

Building our ability to deal with pressures as well as identifying early warning signs of too much pressure, and when required, actively implementing changes can prevent ill-health linked with prolonged stress exposure, such as anxiety and depression as well as physical conditions such as heart disease, back pain and headache.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have identified seven key conditions if not properly managed at work, are associated with poor health, lower productivity and increased accident and sickness absence rates. The Management Standards are:

Demands – this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment
Control – how much say the person has in the way they do their work
Support – this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues
Relationships – this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour
Role – whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles
Change – how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation

An employee has been off work for a long time, how can we get them back to work

The primary aim of occupational health case management is the return of an absent employee who has suffered a health problem back into productive employment, provide advice that will help keep the employee at work as well as promoting good health and wellbeing.

“Nip it in the bud” is an idiom which means to take care of a small problem early and swiftly before it blossoms into a much larger problem. If one procrastinates, a problem may snowball and become intractable.

Statistically the longer an individual is off work due to sickness the less likely they are to return to productive employment. Therefore with the appropriate support and guidance as well as building an effective therapeutic relationship, we can quickly assess fitness and facilitate a successful return to work (RTW).

At times due to lack of confidence or concerns the employee might not be able to cope with their substantive role, a supported RTW plan can help individuals get back into work. These plans offer suitable adjustments with recommended time periods when they can return to their normal role. This could include phased hours, avoiding certain tasks/activities in the short term, advice on long term restrictions / implications.

It is well known this process reduces sickness absence levels and associated costs as well as improving workplace morale with supportive working relationships.

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