Managing Sickness Absence

1
Managing Sickness Absence

• School Secretaries
• 20 November 2006

2
Roles and Responsibilities

• Heads of Schools and Line Managers
• Communicates policy/procedure and support
  facilities
• Ensures mechanisms in place to record and track
  sickness absences
• Nominated Person (NP)
• Contact person
• Record absences
• Track absences for trigger points
• HR Officer
• Provides advice on case management
• Involved in more complex absences
• Makes management referrals to Occupational Health
• Member of staff
• Must comply with policy/procedure

3
Notification of Sickness Absence

• Member of staff to make contact personally
• Contact NP within 1 hour of start time
• Provide reason
• Probable duration
• Agree when they will call back
• How contact will be maintained if absence of a
  significant duration

4
Certification

• Days 1 3
• No certification necessary
• Days 4 7 (including Saturday/Sunday)
• Self-certificate
• SC2
• To NP then to Payroll
• Included non-working days for part-time staff
• Absences over 7 days
• SC2 and medical certificate (Med 3) from GP
• To NP and then to Payroll

5
Recording Sickness Absence

• Obtain timely information
• Be rigorous in the use of the Record of Employee
  Sickness Absence Form
• On first day of absence
• At the end of the absence
• Ensure medical certificates received promptly
• Follow-up if necessary
• Involve HR if necessary
• Keep in touch
• Agree when individual will advise you of progress

6
Return to Work

• Meeting
• Consistency of approach
• NPs responsibility to arrange meeting
• Update on work issues
• If appropriate, discuss adjustments
• Phased returns
• Usually OH/HR involvement
• Normally 6 weeks maximum

7
Monitoring Absence

• What to look for
• Triggers
• 4 weeks absence
• 20 days in 12 months
• 4 occasions in 6 months
• Pattern
• Raise concerns early
• Be open about monitoring
• Any work-related reason?

8
Options

• Speak to the individual
• Meeting
• Home visit (not alone)
• Neutral venue
• Support for individual
• Judgement
• Discuss with HR if helpful
• Management Referral to Occupational Health

9
Occupational Health and HR

• Self-referral
• Management referral
• HR writes to OH
• School provides
• Details of job
• Absence record
• Questions/management issues
• OH respond to HR
• Meeting
• Individual/line manager/HR
• Case conferences
• Strategy for managing case
• Regular meetings
• Managing long-term absences