Tag: sickie

Who saw an increase in sudden onset sore backs, gastro and migraines last Friday 27th January due to the Australia Day public holiday? If so, you may need a new sick leave policy.

If you did, you are not alone. Let’s face it though, who wouldn’t desire an extra day off to make a very long weekend to bask in the amazing Gold Coast sunshine. However while thousands of employees couldn’t resist the temptation to to take this well positioned day off as a sickie, you as the employer suffered with short staff and important work that had to be postponed.

Under the National Employment Standards, full time employees are entitled to 10 days personal leave per annum to deal with personal illness, caring responsibilities and family emergencies. Part time employees are entitled to a proportionate amount according to the hours worked.

So what can employers do to better manage employees taking illegitimate sick leave “The great Aussie sickie”?

Since the Fair Work legislation was introduced back in 2009, the sickie has been a tough one to manage. There are risks for the employer if disciplinary action is taken against an employee for a temporary absence due to illness or injury. While the balance of power does seem to sit with the employee in this space that doesn’t mean the employer cannot introduce strategies to reduce the amount of illegitimate personal leave an employee takes.

The number one strategy any employer can rely on is to implement a company sick leave policy, which outlines clearly the expectations for taking all types of leave, including personal leave. The sick leave policy might outline areas such as procedures for calling in sick (when to call, who to call), in what circumstances a medical certificate is required and who to contact for questions about the policy. Where the employee is in breach of the policy, the employer may have the right to take action. It is recommended that employers seek professional assistance to draft such a policy and when considering disciplinary action.

An indirect strategy for reducing illegitimate sick leave is to create a work environment where employees enjoy coming to work every day. It seems simple but so many employers fail to see the connection between an engaged employee and their sick leave balance. It is proven time and time again that a highly engaged workforce will have fewer illegitimate sick days than one which is disengaged. Employers can adopt simple strategies such as regularly recognising employees for their work, offering genuine flexible work practises, listening to and involving employees in meaningful work, and generally making them feel valued on a day to day basis.

For any questions about the above article, or to discuss how Industryus HR could assist you with developing a sick leave policy or better engagement strategies, call 07 5655 4047 or visit industryus.com.au.

Absenteeism is one of the trickiest human resources issues for employers to manage. In instances where it is suspected that an employee is not genuinely ill, workplace laws in relation to managing absenteeism can often leave the manager feeling frustrated and as though their hands are tied. While it is true that absenteeism is difficult to manage, there is actually quite a lot an employer can do to improve non-genuine absenteeism.

Where absenteeism is happening within the workplace but it’s considered to be more of an annoyance than a major concern (severe absenteeism is discussed further down), employers might like to make some changes to the overall workplace to see if these can improve absence statistics over a number of months.

Some of these changes might include:

1. Implementing a clear personal leave policy which makes it less desirable for employees to take non-genuine sick leave. For example, some policies have specific rules such as insisting employees call and speak to their direct manager on the day of the absence, rather than opting to text message. For an employee who may be considering to ‘chuck a sickie’, having a discussion about the impending absence is a much more difficult option than sending a text message to avoid a discussion.

2. Programming day to day activities that inspire employees to attend work. Non-genuine sick leave can be more prevalent in work environments which are monotonous and where the culture is rigid and mundane. If yours is a bit lacklustre, have a think about what can be done to change this. A great way to start is to map out specific dates on a calendar which might include activities that help break repetitiousness like morning tea celebrations for birthdays, dress up days to support charitable causes, casual Fridays, team meetings etc.

3. Be a bit more flexible with your employees. Employers who don’t recognise that employees have lives outside of work and therefore do not reasonably accommodate small and insignificant requests will increase their chances of having employees call in sick for the entire day out of fear of their request being declined. Where employers are able to allow employees some freedom from time to time during shift, it will likely increase the commitment they show towards their job and reduce non-genuine absenteeism.

But what happens when there is an employee whose absenteeism is concerning in some way, or who has repeated and severe absenteeism?

Each situation should be treated independently, which means employers are best to consult an employment relations expert so that the situation can be assessed and a plan worked out to get results. Severe absenteeism can be successfully managed on an individual basis and in some cases eliminated completely, but employers need to be careful not to manage it without seeking the assistance from an experienced HR services provider such as Industryus HR.

For a free and no obligation consultation about absenteeism or other Human Resources issues, call Industryus HR on 07 5655 4047 or click here