How to manage sickness absence

Managing sick leave can be a challenge for every employer. It is essential that businesses find the balance between supporting those employees who are genuinely sick and minimising unnecessary absences in order to reduce costs. Costs can include:

• Loss of productivity
• Employing temporary cover
• Paying other employees additional overtime costs

The 2011 IBEC Guide to Managing Absence found that over 11 million days are lost to absence in Ireland every year, costing businesses €1.5 billion or €818 per employee. The report also found that employees missed 5.98 days on average, an absence rate of 2.6%.

Managing Absences

Absence levels can be addressed by taking some simple steps:

• Sickness Policy: there should be a policy in place that clearly sets out the procedure that will be followed by both employees and management in cases of absence through illness. The policy should be clearly communicated and consistently implemented. The default company handbook in Bright Contracts contains such a policy.
• Record, Monitor & Measure: monitoring and measuring enable employers to identify trends and recognise points at which absence levels need to be further investigated.

Return to Work Interviews: these are informal meetings between a line manager and an employee on the first day the employee returns to work. Return to work interviews are consistently rated as one of the most effective methods of managing absenteeism levels and it is recommended that they should be included in all sickness absence policies. 

Bright Contracts – Employment contracts and handbooks.
BrightPay – Payroll Software

Read more at www.brightcontracts.ie >

Posted byLaura MurphyinCompany HandbookSick Leave/Absence Management

Whistleblowing Legislation – Be Prepared

This July the Government published the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013, commonly known as the “Whistleblowing Bill”. The aim of the bill is to combat corruption and promote a culture of public accountability and transparency. The Bill encourages workers to disclose information relating to wrongdoing in the workplace by offering protection against penalisation should they make a protected disclosure / blow the whistle.

When the Bill is enacted, likely to be later this Autumn, a whistleblower’s protection will include protection from dismissal or any form of penalisation by their employer. If an employee is found to have been dismissed unfairly for having made a protected disclosure, employers could be faced with compensation payments of up to 5 years remuneration.  The usual service level of 1 year for cases of unfair dismissal will not apply to Whistleblowing cases. 

In preparation of this new legislation, employers are advised to start reviewing their internal policies and procedures and to start considering establishing a robust whistleblowing policy to suit their business.  Should you require assistance, Bright Contracts will be providing template policies and guidance on how deal with whistleblowing complaints.

Bright Contracts – Employment contracts and handbooks
BrightPay – Payroll Software

Posted byLaura MurphyinCompany HandbookContract of employmentEmployment ContractEmployment Update