For Managers

Absence. Your first concern will be to identify what it is about your employee’s health that is preventing them attending work, and whether you can make any adjustments or help them overcome barriers. Acting early in an absence period reduces the risk of unnecessary long-term absence, regardless whether the problem is injury, stress, illness or mental health difficulties. 

There is a much greater chance of successfully returning an employee to work if action is taken within four to six weeks of an absence. Communication between a healthcare professional, employee and manager is key to successfully reducing unnecessary sickness absence. 

We can help by communicating with your employees and their health providers, to obtain up to date health information and provide you with reports which are focussed on fitness for work, potential temporary adjustments and probable timeframes.

FAQs

I already have an occupational health provider

Most occupational health providers are focused on pre-employment screening and surveillance to ensure compliance with health and safety law. This does not help with managing attendance. We specialise in helping organisations deal effectively with attendance issues and can complement your existing OH provider service. 

We use the employee’s General Practitioner 

In some cases this can work, but the GP’s role is to act as their patient’s advocate. This often prevents them effectively providing independent advice on fitness for work. Additionally, GPs may not have the expertise to advise on workplace risk or employment issues.

The duration or frequency of the employee’s leave is causing problems

The extent to which a business can tolerate sick or injury leave differs according to various factors. At some point you may be forced to look at termination due to medical incapacity. The employment contract may specify a process for dealing with this.  It is generally expected that an employer conduct an investigation to clarify the employee’s health status and future prognosis for being able to return to work. At this point you would also be consulting with your HR or legal team. Our services can help with decision making, by providing clear and up to date information on health status. 

Will the workforce see the measures we are taking with absence?

Yes, they will. It is usually very well received when colleagues are helped back to work in a supported way. The objective of absence management is to create a supportive and sympathetic environment where sickness absence is treated as genuine, attending work regularly is the norm, and those who are frequently absent from work, or absent without good cause are accountable.

What questions are answered?

When should I refer?

Each case can be guided by the circumstances but as a rule of thumb if you are expecting or have already observed 4 weeks of absence, we recommend a referral for occupational health nurse assessment.  Research shows that early referral leads to better results. 

It can also be helpful to refer employees who are taking recurrent absences as this can indicate a poorly managed health condition or, in some cases, issues other than health are resulting in the absence e.g. family illness, child caring responsibilities etc. 

If there is a health issue affecting performance or safety then it would be appropriate to refer, or if work is known to be affecting an employees physical or mental health then our review can be helpful. 

Other common scenarios where referral is indicated include:

  • Stress related absence. Once absence from stress has occurred there is invariably a significant history in the workplace.
    Early referral is suggested, with some organisation’s policies dictating automatic referral whenever stress related absence is noted. 
  • Performance concerns. Either the employee may have raised a health issue or the employer may wish to ensure that health issues have been considered fully and any necessary adjustments put in place prior to or during performance management.
  • A second opinion on an employee’s medical management. e.g. where the General Practitioner does not appear to be acting.
  • Advice on return to work following a significant medical event e.g. heart attack, cancer. 

If in doubt about how to manage an employee with a health condition, this is probably due to a lack of information. In this case an occupational health consult is often helpful. We welcome the opportunity to discuss any case that you may be considering a referral for.