Over ½ million wait more than 6 months for an operation

62% of SMEs believe absence represents a significant cost to their business, source – CIPD employee absence survey 2001

Absence is not only about illness - people don't go to work for a whole host of reasons. All are genuine, but if the working environment is not supportive or flexible many don't turn up at all! Looking at illness for a moment there are 2.1m people waiting for operation in the NHS today.

Of those 502,922 people have waited more than 6 months. [Source Dept of Health website - Feb 2003] Many of these people are working below capacity or are absent from work - do you know which one's are your employees?

Best practice tips
IHC propose a best practice solution to put trigger points in to catch cases early such as stress, injury or known medical procedures. The trigger can be on the first day although it should be tailored to the company culture. The intervention is simply a line manager checking the facts surrounding the absence, understanding the issues and addressing the workflow to ensure business continues. This can be done on the phone or face-to-face but always from a position of support. Line managers need support too - training and back up should be provided to ensure they keep within the employment legal framework and not inflate the problem (Disability and Discrimination Act, Medical Reports Act, Data Protection Act etc). Draw up a simple template to jog your memory and keep focused on answers not the problem itself.

During the process it is important for any individual or service provider you employ to focus on 'return to work' as the primary objective. The support of the business and the resources it can bring to bear on a situation are often forgotten at a time of need - the line manager should be there to help point out some of the services available and help provide access to insurance policies such as private health insurance and group income protection. Not forgetting the company doctor or employee assistance programme if you provide them.

Trigger points for a consistent approach

We advise a 3-week trigger point to catch all cases that start to become long-term. Monitoring absence helps understand the reasons behind the absence and what the date of return is likely to be. Given a target date everyone can work to it and check if slippage occurs.

40% of absence is long-term source - CBI report 2001

If the case is serious, then Occupational health professionals can easily be accessed to give a professional independent medical opinion for managers to make a business decision. The normal fee for an ad hoc referral is £320 including costs; they should be used only when necessary following an internal discussion as to the case requirements. Giving clear direction to a difficult absentee case and supporting employees at a difficult time quickly recoup the direct financial cost of a referral. Creating formal referral links with your Employee Assistance Programme or private health insurance provider can start to integrate health interventions for fast problem resolution.

Companies need to keep a handle of who is absent and why. Trends often emerge due to working practices, times of opening and commercial deadlines can all play a part, rather than illness itself. We are all aware of the 'Monday or Friday' syndrome; traditional management practices soon stop such activity; left unchecked and you may have an epidemic! Focus on what you can change and let sense prevail. The law will not punish you for helping a family so an employee can come back to work and in our experience, some insurers will pay out for that support and more!

Obtaining economies of scale in health
Integrating health is about linking the insurance policies; the company doctor, employee assistance programme and whatever are in your mix to get early return to work. Traditionally, health sits in different management categories, such as; compensation and benefits, health and safety, policies and procedures and HR operations. A quick fix is to put all your health providers and budget holders in one room. It will be self-evident that some economies of scale and improved lines of communication will help employees use the support network available to achieve early return to work. Examples of good integration include;

• setting up an intranet with all health services in one place,
• the health screening company reporting results to the company doctor so that agreed health targets can be followed up and
• changing the Medical Consent form so that the occupational health supplier can share information with the Group Income Protection provider at an early stage, thereby reducing paperwork and reducing high-cost claims.
  

We strive to get the health programmes with many of the solutions being very low cost to implement.

Maximise return on investment
There is a multitude of services, policies, practitioners and counsellors who report to be able to ‘reduce absence’. IHC believe it is like a squashy balloon, if you only deal with one element and squeeze one way, the result will impact in another unpredictable place. We advise on where to place investments to maximise the return for your employees and the business given your set of circumstance.

The trigger starts with the company themselves - if you want to be a better employer and manage the cost of absence the best practice measures outlined here will be a start on the road to employer of choice. Take the first step and make a start today.

Questions and Answers

Q – Why does wellbeing at work matter?
A – Wellbeing matters because people are the lifeblood of the business – from them assets turn to profits.

Q - Will I be accused of harassment?
A – No, approach people they way you would want it yourself, from a position of support and help. Sometimes a reminder that you have this service of that insurance policy is all that is needed to induce self-help and set someone on the road to recovery.

Q – We measure absence, why do I need trigger points?
A – Triggers points highlight potentially high-impact and high-cost cases to focus resources and intervene early.

Q – Why do you recommend a 3-week trigger point?
A – 15 days of absence is nearly twice the national average. A system, however crude, to highlight a person who is absent for 15 days will reduce costs, start to influence return to work and support the employee and their family at a time of need.

Q – Is the system flawed, as my employees will not record their absence?
A – Around 20% of companies in the UK still do not record absence. The consequences of the business, social and personal costs to employees should persuade even the most laissez-faire company that the time to act is now.