1. Do You Have Absence & Sickness Policies?

A concise sickness and leave policy should be included in your staff/employee handbook as a matter of course. It should include such instances as when leave is permitted such as an emergency involving a dependant or jury duty, how you should be notified, by phone or email and in what timeframe e.g. by 9am etc. A sickness and leave policy can be several pages long so we recommend contacting the Helpine for assistance.

2. Do You Keep Individual Absence Data?

It is the duty of the Employer to collect individual sickness absence data like cause and dates of absence to ensure accurate payment of SSP. It also gives the employer the ability to pick up on trends or patterns. Employees aware that you record this information are less likely to falsely call in sick. Employers need to fulfil certain requirements when documenting and recording sickness leave of absences. If you’re unsure, please call the Helpline.

3. Do You Hold Return to Work Interviews?

It is important that as an employer you conduct a return to work interview to ascertain that the employee is in a condition to return to work, carry out their duties safely, to gather information relating to the cause of the leave and cross check absent dates with the employee. Details of the correct return to work interview procedure are available through the Helpline.

Every business is different so we advise that you call our advisors to review your documentation first and then formulate a plan of action.

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