It's All About People

8th August - 4 minute read

Welcome back

This week’s It’s All About People covers:

 💷 why absence is about to cost you a lot more, if you don’t take action

😷 this week’s top tip to manage sickness absence

🆓 a freebie from me to help you with this

📆 events this month

Last Thursday I ran a free webinar on the employment law changes that are coming in under the new Government.

I was delighted to welcome over XXX business owners and HR professionals to the session, and it got great feedback.

One of the topics that people were most concerned about was the changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), hence me continuing with this topoics this month.

💷 Why absence is about to cost you a lot more, if you don’t take action

As mentioned in my email last week, statistics show that in 2023, approximately £76 million was paid out by organisations in SSP alone.

The changes to SSP that the government are looking to introduce have no date yet, but they have said several times it is a priority and one they intend to do quickly - we’ll keep you posted.

The main change will be that SSP will be payable from the first day of absence - at the moment there are 3 "waiting days", so it is only paid from day 4 onwards.

So what does this mean? It may well mean that people are more likely to call in sick as they know they will get paid - albeit it only SSP.

The second main change is that they will remove the minimim earnings that someone has to have to qualify for SSP. At the moment anyone whole earns less that £123/week does not get SSP when sick.

So what does this mean? As with the above, sickness may increase in those who earn less, as they will now get SSP.

😷 This week’s top tip to manage sickness absence

The return to work interview is crucial to managing sickness absence.

In the simplest terms it is the conversation that a manager has with a team member when they come back from a period of sickness absence - whether one day or 6 months; always do one.

First you need to know if you have an issue, and you can only do this if you keep accurate records - not just instances of absence but reasons and conversations had.

As with so many things in life, prevention is better than cure. As an organisation you need to promote a wellbeing culture and support for team members to look after their health.

This does not need to cost you a lot of money, but with mental health being the biggest cause of absence, it is vital to look at options.

Conducting return to work interviews after every absence is key. You need to be sure someone is well enough to be back, and also find out more about the absence and any support they need.

Train your line managers to have these conversations and ask the right questions. It may be that with someone confides that their workload is making them ill, and once a manager knows this they can do what they can to help and reduce the chance of more absence.

Have a meaningful conversation - this is where so many people get it wrong - you can ask questions and, if you feel appropriate, challenge. So the person who has had 5 sickness bugs this year - ask them have they been to the Dr as that is not “normal”.

If they are genuinely poorly then being encouraged to go to their GP may get them the help they need. If they are perhaps not unwell when they say they are, you questioning it may stop them doing that again.

Make sure you have an absence policy that outlines the steps that can be taken, which can mean that someone is given warnings for their levels of absence, and in rare occasions this can end in dismissal.

Of course this should be rare and only after plenty of support has been given and chances to improve. If you want to discuss options with this, our team can always help.

🆓 A freebie from me to help you with this

On 22nd August I will be running a lunch and learn on this very topic, and I’d like to offer you a FREE place on this.

In the session we will be going in to more detail on the above topics, and particularly proactive and reactive steps you can take.

Our lunch and learns are included in our HR Hub membership, but for others it is £35+VAT per ticket.

That’s all for this week – have a great week all.

Emma 

P.S. For those of you reading this who are members of our HR Hub then there are LOADS of resources on managing absence in the Hub. You can find them in the “Wellbeing” section and also ““When Things Get Tricky”

 P.P.S.  If you are not a Hub member you can find out more and join here for only £45/month for all your HR needs.

P.P.P.S If we have not connected on LinkedIn yet, I would love to connect

Events to Join in the coming weeks (click on the links to join us)

Menopause Café (free for all to attend, and not just for the ladies!) – 13th August 12pm 

Make Work Pay – Labour’s 100 Day Plan for HR & Leaders Session 2 (Free Webinar) - 28th August 12-1pm

Absence Management Lunch and Learn - 22nd August 12pm, use code NEWS to claim your free place

HR Clinic (free to all, come and ask your HR questions) - 27th August 12pm