Managing sickness absence can be a daunting task for many employers to handle, as it often requires striking a fine balance of having a delicate approach in supporting employees, while considering business needs of minimising business disruption and costs.
An October 2023 report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) discovered that a typical employee takes an average of 7.8 days of sickness absence in a year, which is noted as the highest level in the last 10 years.
Following this, we commissioned our own survey of more than 1,000 employees and 250 senior HR leaders, resulting in the Wellbeing strategies: effective in managing sickness absence? insights and recommendations for employers report, published in June 2024. Statistics identified that 69% of employees consider that it is now more acceptable to take time off work when unwell than five years ago.
With the rise of more sickness-related absences, it is essential for employers to remember their obligations when managing it. Employers are required to consider numerous factors, including the reason for the employee’s absence, whether their incapacity to work has been caused by workplace factors, if the absence is related to a disability and whether any reasonable adjustments can be made, and entitlement to statutory sick and contractual sick pay.
It is vital for employers to follow a fair process in managing sickness absence, particularly when contemplating dismissal, as there are legal implications for not doing so. These include the risk of claims for personal injury, unfair dismissal, or disability discrimination. It is therefore essential for employers to have relevant policies and procedures on how to manage it.
Our research also looked at whether employers could be doing more to prevent sickness absence. Although employers have a duty to ensure a safe working environment, including in relation to mental health, our research found that the majority of employees (67%) and employers (68%) consider that too much onus is put on employees to improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing, as opposed to employers’ promoting a healthier workplace culture.
Thus, employers could be more effective in improving wellbeing and reducing sickness absence if they take action to improve organisational culture and prioritise their wellbeing strategies and offerings.
Louise Lawrence is a partner at Winckworth Sherwood
