Some 14 million work days are lost every year through absenteeism. However, there are ways of controlling the practice, writes Gerry McMahon.
Firstly the good news - despite the fanfare, Irish workers are among the best attendees at the workplace, taking among the lowest proportion of sick days across the EU. Furthermore, our absence rate has dropped significantly in recent years, from an estimated 13 days per person per annum in 1975 to fewer than eight at present.
Nevertheless, about 14 million days are lost in Ireland a year through absenteeism, at a cost of almost €2 billion to employers and the exchequer. There is evidence that one-day absences are the most frequent (ie Mondays and Fridays). Older workers, women and married people appear to be the greatest offenders, while the public sector and large organisations with big work groups default more than the private sector and small organisations and work groups.
It also seems that senior staff have better attendance records than their colleagues. And, hardly surprisingly, the absence of sick-pay schemes is associated with superior attendance levels.
When it comes to controlling absenteeism, there is a wide range of options available to employers. However, it will surprise some employers that the conclusion from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) 2006 survey in this area is that "return-to-work" interviews are the most effective way of tackling short-term absence across all sectors and are also the most commonly used approach for managing long-term absence.
Indeed, even the Irish Health Service Employers' Agency agrees that - provided they are fairly and sensitively handled - such interviews are a very effective tool in reducing absenteeism.
The purpose of the interviews is to signal clearly to employees that their absence was noticed and they were missed. It also demonstrates that absence is a high priority for the employer and that stated policies in this area are being put into practice on a consistent basis. Properly conducted meetings of this nature should also help to identify the cause of the absence, while providing an opportunity to explore any particular problems that the employee may have and assistance that the employer can provide.
For example, a 2006 Hospital Savings Association (HSA) survey in Ireland concluded that "one in three employees cite personal problems as a reason for sickness absence".
Elaborating on the finding, the head of corporate sales at the HSA pointed out that the survey also found that the majority of those companies citing such "personal problems" as an issue were failing to put in place measures to address the situation. The return-to-work meeting clearly has a role to play in this regard.
The main downside, however, is that most managers do not have the time to devote to such interviews alongside their other job demands. Also, they are usually just glad to get the employee back to work without "rocking the boat".
Acknowledging that managers have many competing pressures on their time and that it is often too tempting to overlook the requirement to carry out such interviews, the CIPD advises that it would be appropriate to install a control mechanism that requires documentary evidence or sign-off.
It is important to retain a written record of the interview in case a formal disciplinary procedure needs to be invoked at a future date. Furthermore, with appropriate people management or interpersonal skills training, any reluctance or feel-bad factor can be reversed, as the line manager displays appropriate interest in and concern for staff on an ongoing basis, which flows naturally into the conduct of the return-to-work meeting.
The benefits associated with the proactive management of absenteeism were well reflected in the recent British Airways experience on the introduction of return-to-work discussions. Savings of £30 million (€44 million) were secured as staff absence levels halved in less than 12 months. Return-to-work interviews definitely seem like a good case of "nothing ventured, nothing gained".
• Dr Gerry McMahon is a consultant and lecturer in human resource management at the faculty of business, DIT, and runs "The Effective Management of Absenteeism" programme on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
ppl1@eircom.net
