Sickness Absence Management

It is estimated employee absence is a significant cost to 90% of businesses. This does not only include the direct loss of service provision but also the effects on colleagues and disruption to consistent customer relationships.

Bluestone Health offers qualified support to HR and mangers in managing absent employees. We offer:

• Contact with absent employees
• Advice on likely return to work date
• Adjustments supporting an early return to work
• Proposing rehabilitation plans
• Liaison with the employee’s General Practitioner or specialist
• Feedback to HR / management on suggested action
• General medical information about certain illnesses
• Obtaining relevant consent
• Ill health retirement reports

There are many reasons why people take time off work. These can be categorised as:

• Short-term sickness absence (uncertificated, self-certificated or covered by a doctor’s certificate)
• Long-term sickness absence
• Unauthorised absence or persistent lateness
• Other authorised absences eg annual leave; maternity, paternity, adoption, or parental leave; time off for public or trade union duties, or to care for dependents; compassionate leave; educational leave.

Absence due to sickness costs money. What could your business achieve by reducing absence?

We understand that managers need clear advice to deal fairly and equally with each case of absence.

A clear and well communicated absence policy helps:

• Control sickness absence costs
• Demonstrate care for employees
• Plan cover for absence and maintain quality of service

We provide:

• HR and Absence policy advice
• Assessments of fitness and resumption of duty
• Guidance on compliance with relevant legislation
• Respects confidentiality of medical matters affecting employees

Can we help you control absence costs and improve productivity? Contact our specialists to understand how we can help.

Sickness absence management is of key importance in every workplace as the impact of absence has a damaging effect on the profitability and success of your business. There is therefore the need to pro-actively and effectively manage any absence.

What are the benefits to your organisation?

The benefits of Bluestone Health supporting sickness absence management include:

• Cost savings by reduction in short and long term absences
• Improved staff morale
• Legal Compliance
• Increased productivity
• Increased profits

How can Bluestone Health help you?

Managing sickness absence starts with policy formulation where the vital function of Occupational Health is the key. With this in place, we can have a fundamental role in supporting Managers and Human Resource Professionals to effectively manage employees back to work as quickly and as efficiently as is possible. Sickness absence management can appear to be a minefield with issues such as ‘stress’ now so prominent and the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act. At Bluestone Health we provide sound medical solutions with focused advice. Our experience of dealing with the impact of health and work ensures that the advice provided by our Occupational Health professionals is to the benefit of both the employee and employer.

Let us help you reduce the cost and impact of sickness in your organisation.

Bluestone Health provides medically qualified occupational health consultants who review the levels of sickness absence within an organisation. Visit to the client’s workplace are arranged and employees are referred to our consultant to review the impact of sickness absence. A private sickness absence referral is conducted with the employee to review their condition and the status of their sickness absence.

As a result of the sickness absence consultation a written report is compiled and presented to the client identifying status and making recommendations to management in order to improve the impact of the employee’s condition on their employer’s business and themselves. The sickness absence report is provided by the next working day.

A generic referral process outlines the way of working.

1. Employee who has a sickness absence issue is identified by management.
2. Sickness absence referral is made to People Asset Management
3. Sickness absence consultation is conducted by our staff and the employee.
4. Sickness absence report is compiled identifying solutions or advice.

Key Benefits:

• The treatment strategy being adopted is assessed to ensure it is appropriate to deal with the sickness absence condition and to meet the needs of the employee and the employer.
• A recuperation strategy can be applied to reduce the sickness absence period. Actions such as private treatment or work place adjustments are considered.
• A pragmatic approach is taken to whether the sickness absence condition, as described by the employee, is in fact genuine. The CBI in its 2003 report states that 15% of all sickness absence is bogus.
• Effective sickness absence management is generally self-funding, e.g. on average for £30 spent, a saving to the business of £70 is expected.
• Our sickness absence referrals can be conducted at your location or at our clinics.