Norwich Union Healthcare has launched a telephone based absence management system that employers can use to record staff absence and help get employees back to work as soon as possible.
Norwich Union's new Absence Solutions provides employers with a choice of modules from which they can select to produce a tailored package, including the telephone recording system.
The absence manager module allows the employer to choose from either an automated telephone and web-based service, or a telephone service manned by a nurse. Both options record the employee's absence and make a report to the employer so that they can manage absence in the workplace.
The absence rehabilitation module involves nurses directing employees to appropriate service, while the audit and consultancy module monitors the reasons for absence and can help organisations identify areas of occupational health that might be beneficial to introduce.
Mark Noble, director of group life and healthcare, said: "As the cost of employee absence increases, having a consistent and effective absence management strategy has become paramount for companies - whatever their size or industry.
"Providing an integrated absence management solution, Absence Solutions will enable companies to have not only an accurate recording and reporting system but also a complete end-to-end process by using medical intervention as early as possible."