Dealing with short term frequent absence

Of no less importance to companies are the problems of short term frequent absence and poor time keeping. Here we look at how to tackle the serial abuser.

A case example is a joiner who has worked for a company for five years and in the last 18 months has been off 12 times. His employer calls a meeting with the employee to discuss the issue.

The joiner says he has a back problem that is aggravated by his work. With the employee’s permission, the employer seeks confirmation from the man’s GP and discusses what exactly exacerbates the problem.

He then takes action by putting the joiner into a two-man team to share his work. He monitors the situation and no work is missed for three months. But in the next month the joiner is off four times citing a number of different reasons.

The employer should now set a further period of review, for example three or six months, including setting targets for improvement with a warning to the joiner.

If there is still no satisfactory improvement, a further warning should be given. If there is still no satisfactory improvement, the statutory dismissal procedures can begin.

This starts with a letter informing the employee that dismissal is being contemplated, followed by a meeting to discuss the issue and, if necessary, an appeal. Any employer who us unfamiliar with the procedural requirements should seek professional advice from the outset.

As with cases of long term sickness absence, employers should deal with short term frequent absence early. This will help maintain a consistent approach across your business.

If someone is not turning up for work on a regular basis, you should bring them in early and explain that their conduct is being monitored.

If too much time has already gone by before you act, you should start with a clean slate. Bring the employee in and explain the problem.

There are several carrot and stick approaches that can be used to encourage good attendance, for example, incentives or setting a sick day allowance.

There may be some illnesses suffered by staff with which you would rather they stayed at home but you should still have a procedure such as requiring them to provide a doctor’s sick note.

Poor time keeping among staff is another problem. Staff turning up late, leaving early, having extended lunch breaks, taking lots of breaks and using work time for private matters all cause problems, not least resentment among other employees.

Again, employers should have a consistent approach to dealing with these issues with the use of warnings and ultimately dismissal using the statutory procedures.

It is good business practice in the first instance to discuss the situation with staff to identify what is causing the problem and to find if a simple solution can be found.

For example, their poor time-keeping may be to do with childcare or dependent relative issues which could be addressed with a straightforward change in their hours.

Be warned that what you as the employer consider to be performance management may be construed by the employee as bullying leading to grievance. If you are in any doubt, you should seek professional legal advice early.

* Paul Hargreaves is an employment law specialist with Blackett Hart & Pratt Solicitors LLP. He can be contacted on 0191-221 0898.