Tesco announced that to control its absence levels, it would not pay for the first three days sick leave in some of its stores, and British Airways offered incentives to halve unjustified absence. It is not surprising then, that in a recent survey, IRS found that absence management was the most challenging health and safety issue for almost two-thirds of HR practitioners. But the question still remains: what are organisations doing to tackle the problem?

Auditing the absence policies of both private and public organisations over the past five years, IES has found that simply having a policy that clearly outlines absence procedures and requirements is not enough to ensure that it is well managed. No matter how well devised and thorough the policy, it will be ineffective if line managers cannot deliver it.

The Need for Line Manager Training 

Managers need accurate and reliable information to identify patterns in absence, and problems with individual staff. However, managers also need to have the confidence to implement the policy, knowing that they will be backed when they use their discretion appropriately. This means that they should have the necessary training to develop this confidence.

Finally, there is the question of whether the right support for managers is in place. The roles of the HR function, occupational health, and employee assistance providers are frequently not well understood. These must be clarified.

Reducing absence is not just about policies and procedures. It is also about skills and roles. The contribution of all parts of the organisation is vital, working together. Otherwise, the line manager is left responsible for a process that they are ill equipped to manage.

The very nature of absence is unpredictable which means managers need support and guidance to help them just when they need it.  Online support tools and e-learning can be an effective way of providing such just in time support.