How to manage staff absence

Everyone needs to take time off from work every so often, but when absence becomes excessive, its impact can be wide-reaching.

Chronic absence can affect productivity, morale and company finances so it is important to manage staff absence effectively.

From holiday entitlement to unauthorised absence, there is a lot to consider when managing employee attendance. This guide looks at the causes and types of absence and provides advice for employers on how to successfully manage absence in the workplace.

Types of absence

Causes of time off work

From illness to parental leave, there are various reasons an employee will need to take time off work, including:

Sick leave

If a member of staff is ill, they are entitled to take time off work. When an employee is away from work for longer than 7 days, they will need to provide proof of sickness with a note from their GP.

In the UK, employers must pay statutory sick pay (SSP) of £95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks. This is the minimum amount employers must pay, though you can pay more.

For a member of staff to be eligible for paid sick leave, they must be classed as an employee, earn an average of at least £120 per week and have been ill for at least 4 continuous days (including non-working days).

If an employee is self-isolating or shielding from Covid-19, they are entitled to SSP for every day they are off work.

Extended sick leave

When an employee has been off for longer than 4 weeks, this is classed as long-term sick leave. SSP covers up to 28 weeks of absence. After this period, employees can apply for employment and support allowance (ESA).

If your company has a sick pay scheme, you can extend the period of SSP. This is usually done by paying an employee’s full salary for a fixed period followed by the 28 weeks of SSP.

Legal rights and requirements

Employees must keep their employer informed of their absence when on long-term sick leave and provide the required letters from their GP to cover the period of absence.

There is no official law regarding contacting employees on sick leave, however, you should give your staff the time to rest and recover. If an employee is off work due to work-related stress or another mental health issue, contact from their employer could aggravate their condition.

For more information on implementing a sick leave policy, see the government guide to statutory sick pay for employers.

Parental leave

There are various types of parental leave employees may be entitled to:

• Maternity leave — Expectant mothers are entitled to statutory maternity leave including statutory maternity pay for up to 39 weeks. This must cover 90% of their average weekly earnings (before tax) for the first 6 weeks of leave. After this, employers must pay £151.20 or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the remaining 33 weeks.
• Paternity leave — New fathers can take 1 or 2 weeks’ paternity leave and are entitled to paternity pay, providing they earn at least £120 per week (before tax) and have been employed by the company for a minimum of 26 weeks. To receive paternity pay, the employee must provide an SC3 form (or similar) at least 15 weeks before the baby is due.
• Shared Parental leave — Couples expecting or adopting a child can share up to 50 weeks of parental leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between them. This leave needs to be taken within the first year after the child is born or adopted.

Dependents leave

Employees are legally allowed to take time off work for emergencies involving dependents, for example a child’s sickness. The government defines dependents as a spouse, partner, child, grandchild, parent or someone dependent on the employee for care.

There is no limit to how much time an employee can take off for dependents, but they should keep you informed of the situation and the period of time they are likely to be off.

Employers are not obliged to pay dependent leave, but you can if you choose.

Sabbaticals and career breaks

A sabbatical is a period of leave (paid or unpaid) from work, usually to study or travel.

Employees in the UK do not have the statutory right to sabbatical leave and employers do not have to offer career breaks.

Career break policy

If you do choose to offer a career break policy, this should be outlined in your company handbook, including eligibility criteria, notice periods, how to apply and length of time allowed.

Some employers will allow sabbaticals after a certain number of years’ continuous service and for fixed periods. For example, Deloitte offers two programs: a 4-week unpaid sabbatical and a 3-6 month sabbatical at 40% of base salary.

Holiday and annual leave

Most employees who work a 5-day week are entitled to a minimum of 28 days’ paid holiday a year — this is statutory leave entitlement or annual leave.

Annual holiday entitlement for part-time workers should be calculated on a pro-rata basis. For help calculating annual leave, use the government’s holiday entitlement calculator.

Unauthorised absence

When an employee does not show up for work and fails to inform you or does not provide a reason, this is considered an unauthorised absence.

In these circumstances, you should try to contact the employee — including via their emergency contact — as soon as possible.

If a valid reason for no contact cannot be provided, you may wish to conduct further investigations and disciplinary action. More advice on managing unauthorised absence can be found on the Acas website.

Absenteeism

Absenteeism is where an employee is away from work on a regular basis.

Causes of absenteeism

If you notice absences becoming more frequent or a pattern emerging, it could be for one of the following reasons:

• Stress — Heavy workloads and long hours could lead to burnout.
• Travel issues —The employee may be struggling to meet the cost of public transport, or be dependent on another person to bring them to work.
• Health problems — An underlying or chronic health condition could affect an employee’s ability to work.
• Childcare — This is a common cause of absenteeism, particularly for single parents with limited childcare options or who struggle to afford the cost.
• Depression and anxiety — This is one of the leading causes of absenteeism. For advice on supporting employees with a mental health issue, see our guide to championing mental health at work.
• Job dissatisfaction — When employees no longer feel challenged by their work or feel undervalued, they can lack the morale and motivation to turn up.
• Bullying and harassment — Poor working relationships with colleagues and bosses can cause employees to call in sick as a means of avoidance.

How to calculate absenteeism

There is a simple formula to measure absenteeism:

Take the number of absences in a set period. Divide the number of absences by the total period then divide the result by 100. This will give you the percentage of absenteeism.

The average absence rate in the UK is 1.9%.^[1] If an employee’s absence is significantly higher, it may be cause for concern.

How to reduce absenteeism

To overcome absenteeism, you need to get to the bottom of what’s behind it.

Understand the underlying cause

Take note of the reason for your employee’s absence each time and observe their behaviour when they are at work. Do they seem unhappy and unmotivated? Do they have any conflict with a member of the team, or do they seem isolated? Should their workload be re-distributed?

Have a confidential chat

If you are concerned about an employee’s rate of absence, start by having a confidential chat with them. Seek advice from HR or have a member of HR present for the meeting.

It is important not to interrogate or intimidate your employee. Tell them you are concerned and want to support them.

Share relevant resources or support networks

What company perks or benefits are available that could help your employee’s situation? Flexible working arrangements, additional training, counselling arranged through the company, childcare vouchers or travel allowances may be helpful.

Top tips for managing staff absence

Top tips for employers

There are several ways you can effectively manage absence in the workplace. Depending on the type of absence, some of these tips will be more or less relevant.

Plan ahead

Have a holiday calendar for the team and encourage employees to book time off as far in advance as possible. For example, your holiday policy may state that holidays of a week or more require a month’s notice.

Handovers

For employees going away on holiday, taking a sabbatical, or other planned long-term absence, it is important that a full handover of instructions is given to the team member(s) picking up the work.

Consider asking junior staff to fill in for more senior members of the team as a great way to upskill them. Be sure to discuss the opportunity with junior staff before seeking to hire someone external on a fixed-term contract.

Show empathy

Refrain from contacting staff who are on leave unless absolutely necessary. Don’t place pressure on employees on sick leave to return to work before they are ready (especially if they are off with work-related stress) as it may lead to bigger problems further down the line.

Be supportive

Let your team members know that you are there to support them if they are having difficulties. Whether it is a problem with a colleague or difficulty arranging childcare, they are more likely to come to you earlier to discuss issues if they feel you are open and willing to help them.

Return-to-work interviews

For staff who have been on an extended absence due to mental or physical health conditions or a change in circumstance (like becoming a parent), have a meeting with them when they are ready to come back to discuss any arrangements or extra support they may need.

For more guidance on creating and implementing an absence policy, see Acas’ advice on managing absence from work.