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Strategy Clinic - Persistent Sick Leave

"How can I deal with staff who persistently take sick leave?"

The best way to deal with absence is to build the sort of work environment where people want to come to work. This takes time, but here are some measures you can put in place fairly quickly. Tell people that, while you are sympathetic to those who are genuinely sick, short-term sickness is above average and you intend to deal with it. Have a chat with people who have frequently been off work to try and find out why. Train managers to manage absence, and make sure everyone knows what the rules are when it comes to leave, such as how to report absence.

Record all absence so you can monitor sickness on an ongoing basis. Make sure that anyone who is off work sick from now on has a return-to-work interview to find out any underlying causes. Try to build up trust, and treat people fairly but with a consistent, firm approach. Explain that you can be flexible about time off but, as in any other adult-to-adult relationship, you expect people to talk to you if there's a problem. Then be as flexible as possible - for example, allowing people to take half-days off if they have commitments to attend to. Ensure people with health problems are supported in the workplace as much as possible. For persistent offenders, it is possible to obtain a medical report, though they must give their permission and are entitled to refuse.

Jane Sunley

3 April 2008