Absence Management

Absence & capability management.

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Employers absence management

All employers at some point will experience employees taking short or long term absence.


A recent survey conducted found the average number of sick days lost per employee each year was 7.8 days.


Equating to a business loss of over £900 per employee per year in sickness benefits and loss of productivity.


Having in place formal absence systems and structures will help manage/reduce absence levels, save money as well as limiting the chances of future claims.


We would always recommend that you seek professional advice before taking any action against an employee for either short or long term absence, as managing any employee absence can be fraught with danger due to possible claims of disability discrimination.

Call us today for a FREE informal discussion on your employee absence issues, and let us give you the right advice to help manage the situation legally. 


If you then need additional help or support one of our professional HR consultants can talk you through the most cost effective option to meet your business needs.

Our retained outsourced HR Consultancy Support Service we will give you access to market leading HR software especially designed to help business identify absence trends / patterns and help manage absence level.

How can KeyHR help manage help my absence levels.

Market leading absence management software to help you identify absence  trends and patterns

We do all the hard work for you, providing  you with all the HR advice, documentation / letters & templates needed   

Your own dedicated HR consultant fully experienced at managing with all types of absences

KeyHR can help you develop and maintain clearly defined, short and long term, absence management policies and best practice, that support employees and reduce the overall absence levels within the business.


Where an employee has been off long term, we can facilitate independent health assessments / reports and develop systems to either manage the employee back into work or, where necessary out of the business in a legally compliant manner. 


We will not only provide all relevant documentation, advice and support, but can also train your managers to deal with employees absence to ensure your business meets its legal obligations and reduces company exposure to future claims. 


Alternatively for those more complex cases we are happy to manage the whole process on your behalf, including:


  • Undertaking home visits with employees
  • Arranging independent health assessments
  • Developing phased return to work systems 
  • Undertaking onsite meetings
  • Liaising with external providers such as medical insurance / pension providers

Absence Management FAQ

  • What is absence management?

    Absence management is the way a company or business manages and reduces its employee absence levels. 


    This is normally achieved through having in place:


    • Formal short term absence management policies
    • Formal long term absence management policies
    • Clearly defined absence reporting systems 
    • Formal means for recording and identifying absence / absence patterns  

  • Why should i record & manage absences levels?

    Its quite simple, you need to formally record and manage absence levels to save your business money.


    • Do you fully understand how much absence is actually costing your business?
    • Are certain employees always having the same time of each year or each month?
    • Are some employees claiming they are sick when they are actually watching the world cup, helping with a school trip or undertaking work for someone else? 
    • Have some employees used up all their sickness entitlement for the 12 month period but you are still paying them sickness benefits they are not entitled to?

  • Is it possible to terminate an employee who is off on long term sick?

    Yes, it is possible for a business to dismiss an employee who is off long term sick.


    However, by doing so you are automatically discriminating against the employee as you are treating them differently to an able bodied employee.


    Terminating an employee on the grounds of long term sickness needs to be done in a formal structured way recognised by the courts, to limit any claims of discrimination.

  • Are employees allowed to have paid time off to attend hospital appointments?

    There is no legal right for an employee to have paid time off to attend any doctor, dentist or hospital appointment unless they are ante natal appointments. 

  • Why should I get KeyHR help manage my employee absence levels?

    KeyHR can: 


    • Put in place formal short and long term policies
    • Help identify absence patterns 
    • Manage short and long term absence in a legally compliant manner 
    • Help limit any chance of claims for disability discrimination 

    Ultimately KeyHR will save you time and money reducing your absence levels and costs.


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