As winter approaches, employees are going to be more susceptible to colds and flu which can mean higher levels of sickness absence within your organisation. In August this year, Acas, a government funded body which gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights and rules, updated their guidance on sickness absence.
The guidance provides a valuable resource for employers to help them manage absence effectively and in doing so improve the productivity of their workforce.
The guidance covers an extensive range of topics which include:
• Checking holiday entitlement and sick pay
• Fit notes and proof of sickness
• Time off for dependants/parents
• Returning to work after absence
• Keeping in touch during absence
• Creating absence policies
• Recording and reducing sickness absence
• Unauthorised absence
• Absence trigger points
A new definition of sickness absence as any period of time when an employee is unable to work due to illness, injury, or other medical reason is one of the key changes in the updated guidance. The previous definition only included periods of time when an employee was unable to work due to illness.
New advice on fit notes (previously called a sick note) is also included, which provides employers with more information about whether an employee ‘might be fit for work’ in general, but not for a specific task etc. If an employee is off sick for more than 7 calendar days, they should get a fit note from a registered healthcare professional.
The updated guidance also emphasises the importance of supporting employees who are returning to work after an absence. Employers should work with employees to create a phased return to work that is gradual and manageable. An employer should have a process they follow when someone returns to work which includes how a plan for returning to work is agreed. This should be included in the organisation’s absence policy, if they have one.
Read the full guidance at: Holiday, sickness and leave | Acas
