How can we control staff sickness absence in school?

11th January 2018

How can we control staff sickness absence in school?

It is that time of the year again when levels of staff sickness absence rise, however there are some simple steps you can take to help your school manage attendance issues more effectively.

1. Ensure that you have an up-to-date and written Sickness Absence or Attendance Policy and that all staff know where to access it.
2. Make sure that staff are aware of what they must do if they are unable to come in to school due to sickness, for example who should they contact and by when?
3. Whilst it may be acceptable to send a text or email to the Cover Manager or the Business Manager, other than in exceptional circumstances, staff should telephone their line manager as soon as possible on their first day of absence.
4. Line managers should establish, as a minimum, the generic reason for the employee’s sickness and the anticipated duration of absence.
5. Where the absence is likely to be long-term, agree with the employee how frequently the employee needs to contact the manager and how regular contact can be maintained by the school.
6. Maintain accurate records of sickness absence, follow the stages in your policy and identify any re-occurring patterns of absence.
7. Ensure that all employees are treated fairly and consistently, in accordance with your policy.
8. Ensure that a return to work interview is carried out after each period of absence, confirming the reason for absence and what clinical support the employee has received.
9. Hold Heath Review Meetings once the trigger points for short/long-term absence have been reached.
10. Absences for caring and other family reasons should be dealt with in accordance with your Leave of Absence Procedure and should not be included when calculating trigger points.

Following the above steps should enable your school to manage sickness absence more consistently and monitor the associated costs.

If you would like further information, please contact Heads HR on 0161 850 4343 or email [email protected] or see the ACAS website for guidance.