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 finances, so it is important to manage it 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 alongside staff absence management for employers.

Types of absence

From illness to parental leave, there are various reasons an employee will need to take time off work. Let’s take a look at some of the most common.

Sick leave

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

• 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 £184.03 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 of paternity leave and are entitled to paternity pay if they earn at least £120 per week (before tax) and have been employed 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. Paternity pay is whichever is lower out of £184.03 a week, or 90% of their average weekly earnings.
• 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.

Read more about Maternity and Paternity Leave in our dedicated guides:

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
• 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

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.

When an employee does not show up for work and fails to inform their employer, 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.

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

While time off for sick days or annual leave is part and parcel of a worker’s attendance, absenteeism goes further than this, with the employee taking an unacceptable amount of time off.

To overcome and successfully reduce absenteeism within the workforce there are several key stages employers can implement:

• 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?
• Have a confidential chat: If you’re concerned about an employee’s rate of absence, start by having a confidential chat with them. It’s important not to interrogate or intimidate them – 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 staff absence management

Staff absences are inevitable within any industry. However, there are various different ways you can look to effectively these absences workplace. Depending on the type of absence, some of the tips below 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