Research reports. Firms turn blind eye to staff sickness

Citation

(1999), "Research reports. Firms turn blind eye to staff sickness", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 14 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmp.1999.05014eab.001

Research reports. Firms turn blind eye to staff sickness

Research reports

Firms turn blind eye to staff sickness

Keywords: Absenteeism, Psychometric tests, Music, Telephones, Non-verbal communication

Many UK firms are still tolerating unnecessarily high levels of sickness absence, says a study published by the independent Institute for Employment Studies (IES). Despite the high costs of sickness to employers (estimated at £11 billion per year), many still have inadequate approaches to monitoring, preventing and managing absence. These are the conclusions of Attendance Management: A Review of Good Practice, which reviews the sickness absence policies of over 30 major UK employers.

The pressures to act on sickness absence are not just direct cost. UK and EU legislation, competition and employee expectations of what makes a "good employer" are making attendance management an immediate management issue. People don't want to stay away: employers can help

According to Stephen Bevan, IES associate director and co-author of the report:

"While some employers have adopted enlightened and effective approaches to preventing absence and encouraging attendance, others are more punitive or, worse, do nothing as all. We found that many were still not monitoring absence or even making it clear to employees that they had to report their sickness. The best employers try to motivate attendance among employees by adopting family-friendly policies, by using health promotion practices such as stress counselling as well as by having clear and firm absence procedures, often agreed with unions. Others are far more relaxed, appearing to tolerate high rates of absence through inaction or negligence. These employers get the levels of absence they deserve."

Sue Hayday, IES research officer and co-author added:

"We found little evidence of malingering. Most employees do want to come to work ­ in many cases childcare problems or job dissatisfaction are the root causes. Both are within the control of employers."

Attendance is not a single issue

Reasons for absence fall under four basic clusters:

1. 1.

   health and lifestyle factors;

2. 2.

   workplace factors;

3. 3.

   attitudinal and stress factors;

4. 4.

   domestic and kinship factors.

Furthermore, employers can support their employees with a range of good practice, some of which is preventative:

• •

  health promotion;

• •

  recruitment and screening procedures;

• •

  flexible working arrangements;

• •

  help with travel;

• •

  improving the physical working environment;

• •

  job design;

• •

  managing career expectations;

• •

  rebuilding trust and loyalty.

Attendance management in practice

IES examined absence policies from over 30 large UK employers and rated them against a good practice checklist. While two-thirds conducted return-to-work interviews with employees, less than half had mechanisms in place to review an individual's absence record once it reached a prescribed level and only 17 per cent made clear the importance placed by senior management on absence control.

The combination of being seen to take absence seriously, as well as offering support to help prevent absences, is what defines good attendance management practice.

Attendance Management: A Review of Good Practice, S. Bevan, S. Hayday. IES Report 353, December 1998, ISBN 1-85184-282-9 »16.00.

The report may be purchased from Grantham Book Services Ltd, Isaac Newton Way, Alma Park Industrial Estate, Grantham NG31 9SD, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1476 541080.