Fit answer for sick staff

A Google search using the term 'sickie' turns up a page on http://www.thesite.org​ suggesting tactics for pulling convincing time off work for sickness. It contains such gems as: "If you're tired and have a slight cold or a touch of hay fever, splash a little warm water on your forehead and pinch your cheeks for that fevered look, and go home with a dose of 'flu."

Bosses have to crack down on such inventive skiving, while covering themselves in an increasingly litigious society by giving genuinely sick workers all the help they need to return to work swiftly.

The food industry has a lot at stake. According to the latest statistics from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, employers in the food, drink and tobacco industries recorded the highest average absence rate in manufacturing and production - 4.1% of work time a year.

Absence management specialist Absencecare reckons the cost to a food or drink business with 500 employees and an average absence rate of 6% is about £1M. But, it claims, this rate could be halved, with commensurate savings.

Absencecare's work with east London gammon producer Bearfields, which has 200 employees, for example, has driven absence rates down from 6.4% to below 3%.

The process begins with accurate records. BUPA UK's online calculator, http://www.costofabsence.com​, launched at the end of last year, can help processors calculate how much they are losing in sick days and help them set targets. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) also provides a Sickness Absence Recording Tool to collect, record and measure sickness absence data. Many specialists, such as Absencecare, provide similar facilities.

"Good absence management starts with good data - this underpins everything else you do," says Absencecare md Malene Nielsen. These records should be owned by the line manager and include information on cause of absence, expected return date, steps taken by the employee to get better and a log of the manager's actions. Tracking sick days can uncover obvious trends that could highlight the need for disciplinaries.

Once the data is in place, management policy must be addressed. "If policies are too lenient, too flexible or involve too much managerial discretion, the decision to discipline for short term absence may not be taken often enough," says Nielsen.

Establishing triggers for further action is helpful. Absencecare suggests three spells of absence in 12 months, two spells in three months or accumulated absence of nine days per year as useful guidelines.

Graham Johnson, operations manager for BUPA Wellness and specialist occupational health (OH) practitioner, says return to work interviews can help enormously to reduce sickness absence. "Many managers avoid this like the plague, but unless an employee knows that whenever he or she takes time off, it's being recorded, they will be more likely to abuse the system." Proper training can give managers greater confidence here.

Often these interviews can identify underlying legitimate reasons for taking time off that aren't sickness related and the company can take steps to address these, says Johnson. For example, staff may be having problems with child minders. "Good employers then have the opportunity to offer solutions, such as flexitime or an in-house carers league."

Short term absences of up to two weeks is one thing, but handling instances of longer term absence can be more tricky.

The HSE, which has case studies on its web site (www.hse.gov.uk/food) to guide processors, claims the two most common instances of work-related ill health in the food industry are musculoskeletal injuries and mental health issues.

Often, managers do not intervene soon enough to determine all medical steps are being taken to help the person return to work, claims Nielsen. She says a person can often be given painkillers by his GP, but not seek further help. Two weeks down the line, they are no closer to returning to work. She also advocates a policy of intervention after two weeks, because if employers delay action much later, it is common to see just 20% of sick employees returning to work in the third week of absence.

Absencecare's work with meat packer Hilton Food Group, located in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, focused on scrapping an intervention policy based only on the discretion of its HR department.

Positive intervention strategies could also involve a company engaging a reputable OH professional. The Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association can be a useful source of resources, especially pay-as-you-go OH services for smaller companies with less cash.

However, Nielsen cautions: "If they get a lot of medical jargon with unclear conclusions, line managers are going to be paralysed in decision-making regarding that employee. It's important that manufacturers know they can set demands for their OH partners."

Shrewd investment in treatment may also pay dividends, she adds: "Spending £150 on two sessions of physiotherapy for an employee could be better than waiting six to eight weeks for NHS treatment." Even if an injury is not specifically work-related, and therefore the employer is not strictly liable for medical bills, it may still be in its interests to pay. "You've got to be careful, but it may be wise for key staff if it's going to slow down production," says Johnson.

In helping an employee back to work after a long absence, the employer must legally provide two weeks of temporary alternative duties initially. Sometimes employees do not want to return and so obtain an 'unfit for work' note from their GP.

"OH assessment and feedback is superior to a GP's verdict, since they have more knowledge of the employee's work and OH issues," says Nielsen. "Also, the GP is the patient's advocate, as most will admit. Despite this, a lot of companies still feel insecure about challenging GP notes."

Whether the issue is short term or long term absence, a consistently applied absence management policy is crucial, stresses Nielsen.

"Inconsistency, which can happen where managers change shift or role, for example, drives resentment." The policy should be reviewed regularly as workforce details change. Companies can also annoy unions by not consulting them on changes to these sorts of policies.

Nielsen insists if these steps are followed, there is no reason why most companies should not reduce their absence rates to around 3%, instead of the 4.1% sector average. So there'll be less room for excuses. FM