HR Help Desk

by Melissa Hay

One of the main Human Resource (HR) concerns for an employer is managing the impact of employee sickness and unplanned absence from work.

Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics undertaken in February 2020, prior to the pandemic, estimate that Australian businesses lose on average $303 per day due to costs associated with absenteeism. The Australian Human Resources Institute also conducted a survey and estimates that employees take 8.8 unplanned days per year which costs the economy over $500 million per annum.

In addition to the financial costs of unplanned absences, there are a range of other significant impacts on customer service, sales, staff management and workload allocation. If left unmanaged, unplanned absences can lead to higher levels of stress in the workplace with other employees taking on extra workload and working longer hours. This can create a vicious cycle of poor health outcomes and lead to more absenteeism.

Identify the contributing factors

The first step is to try and identify what might be the cause or contributing factors to the unplanned pattern of absence. To do this you need to collect information that you have on hand within your existing employee records such as leave requests, medical and other supporting leave documentation, email notifications from employees and any file and diary notes you may have drafted. Whilst injury and illness and attendance at medical appointments is often cited as the main reason for absence it may be used to cover the actual cause for the absence which could be: l Care provision – caring for children, elderly parents, or other members of the household; l Burnout, stress, depression and declining mental health – from feeling exhausted with heavy workload or stressful interactions to feeling overwhelmed with changes and undervalued at work; l Job hunting – employees may be actively seeking other employment and utilising leave to have job interviews and meet with employment agencies; l Workplace culture – employees may feel bullied or harassed or isolated within their teams and/or the wider workplace. Workplace changes may clash with employee values. Prepare to hold an employee discussion

Once you have collected the information, rather than assuming the cause of the pattern of absenteeism, engage your employee in a discussion. The purpose is to raise the pattern of the absence with the employee in a supportive and helpful way. The discussion needs to provide the employee the opportunity to understand the impact of their absence from the workplace and to work collaboratively with you in developing ideas that will reduce the unplanned absence. There are a range of options that might assist through encouraging the employee to seek support through an Employee Assistance Program and other health professionals through to temporarily altering hours of work or introducing a flexible working hours arrangement. There is often complexity involved in absenteeism matters so several different strategies may need to be considered and engaged. This is where HR Central can work with you in providing advice and recommending strategies. Melissa Hay is part of the HR Specialist Team at HR Central. With over 25 years of experience working in Human Resources across the not for profit sector, aged and disability services, manufacturing, telecommunications, and state and local government including WorkSafe Victoria.

Can I ask my employees to provide evidence of their absence from work due to sick or personal leave, even if only one day off work?

Yes it may be reasonable. The Fair Work Act 2009 allows for employers to ask for evidence for as little as one day or less. If employees do not provide evidence they may not be entitled to be paid the leave. Where individual employees show repetitive patterns of taking sick and personal leave around public holidays and weekends, this may be a useful strategy to manage the issue. Can I terminate an employee who never shows up for work and does not notify me?

Maybe. If the employee has been off work without reasonable explanation for an unreasonable period, they may be considered to have abandoned their employment. But an employer must follow certain processes before this can be confirmed. An employee has been off work for 4 weeks now and has used up their entire sick/personal leave. Can I terminate them?

The answer is “No”. Under the Fair Work Act 2009, it is unlawful to dismiss an employee because of temporary absence from duty due to illness or injury. If they have been off work less than 3 months this is considered temporary. l

If you would like any further information call the SSAA