Thursday 16 January 2014

How employees ‘pulling a sickie’ are damaging your business’s health

The first Monday in February has now become ‘National Sickie Day’, the day when, traditionally, statistics have shown the largest number of workers call in sick. Reasons can be attributed to the winter cold and flu season, post-Christmas blues, bad weather or the long length of time until the next public holiday – or even these ridiculous excuses. Although this whimsical term makes it seem like a harmless event, how does it affect the industry?

Managing Absence in the workplace
National Sickie Day

Whatever reason a worker gives for not coming into work, managers must be able to distinguish between those with legitimate ill-health and those who have decided to ‘pull a sickie’. This is increasingly becoming a problem, especially in large businesses where some feel they can get away with it. According to a study conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), over a fifth of employers perceived that some of their workforce felt entitled to paid days off ‘sick’ as an additional perk to increase their annual leave.1

In 2013, after a slight dip in reported cases, the proportion of non-genuine illness as a reason for not attending work has increased to around 26% 2, so the need to be able to manage employees’ absences fairly and consistently is a key skill to master.

Left unchecked, absenteeism can cause damage to an organisation. This includes reduced team morale where they have been let down by a colleague, it costs the business money in terms of lost productivity, potentially lower quality work produced due to increased workload or a skills gap of the covering employee, and drains management time as they must reorganise work and discipline the errant worker.

Of course on the opposite side of the coin is ‘presenteeism’ where workers will soldier on even in the face of illness, so as not to lag behind in their work or there is a culture where certain individuals are afraid to be off sick. This can be just as damaging to productivity as workers are there “in body but not in spirit.3

In order to address these issues, a manager must be confident and well-informed of the courses of action available, as well as relevant legislation in place to help them.  Absenteeism must be addressed as soon as possible, and measures should be put in place to prevent it from becoming a problem. However, this can easily be achieved with some knowledge and by following the correct guidelines. For example, by setting up an absence management policy in the workplace, managers will be able to monitor and reduce absence and let employees know what is expected of them. Steps such as conducting return to work interviews will allow for a discussion of the cause of absence (acting as a deterrent but also as a form of support), as well as creating an environment to uncover any underlying issues which can then be dealt with in the early stages. With correct procedures in place, a manager can go a long way towards maintaining a happy workforce without damage to morale or bottom lines.

Capita Learning & Development offers a training course in Absence Management, which will help you develop and manage your workforce, reducing unplanned absences and increasing productivity.

[1] CBI, ‘Fit for purpose’ Absence and workplace health survey 2013, p13
[2] CIPD and Simply Health Limited 2013, Annual Report 2013, p20
[3] http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1077290/stress-presenteeism-sapping-uk-productivity-research

Thursday 2 January 2014

Happy New Year!

What goals have you set for yourself this year?  How determined are you to achieve them?

Capita Learning & Development New Year's Resolutions
New Year's Resolutions

It is estimated that 70% of people who set New Year’s resolutions will have abandoned them by the 3rd week of January and of the 30% that don’t, 90% of them will have given up by June.

So, what can you do now to ensure that you arrive at the end of the year, in the top 5% of those that do follow through and achieve what they set out to achieve at the beginning of the year?

Follow my top tips for setting and achieving goals and notice the difference when you see yourself still on track as the months go by.

Step One
Always write your goals down on paper.  It is proven that you are 70% more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down.

Step Two
Use my SPADE criteria when setting your goals:

S stands for specific.  Be as specific as you can.  If your goal is to earn more money, then exactly how much?  If you earned an extra £1 you would be earning more so your subconscious needs to know exactly how much more.
P is for present and positive tense.  Write your goals as if they are happening now and always in the positive so don’t write what you don’t want, write what you do.
A is for achievable. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure.
D is for date. When are you going to achieve this by?
E is for emotional evidence.  You need an end step so that you know that you have got your goal and put some feelings into it.

Step Three
Now you have your goal you need to break it down into manageable milestones and diarise them.

Step Four
Read your goals every day and visualise yourself achieving them.  Imagine that it’s happening now. Remember, you get what you focus on so focus on what you want to be happening.

Step Five
Take action.  Ask yourself everyday, “what can I do to get me closer to my goal.”  “Is what I am doing now moving me closer or further from my goal?”

Step Six
ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Yvonne Bleakley
Learning Consultant, Capita Learning & Development