As the sound of sneezes rings out around the office, the weather closes in and it’s still dark when the dreaded alarm clock goes off in the morning. This can only mean one thing: cold and flu season is back.
If the past year is anything to go by, businesses are going to experience heightened staff absence over winter – unless preventative methods are put in place before it can become a real issue. On average, workers took 7.8 days of sick leave in the last 12 months. That is the highest since 2008!
As a proactive employer, some steps can be taken to head off staff sickness absence.
Have a strong sickness absence policy and enforce it
An absolute foundation to managing sickness absence is to have a sickness absence policy. This should outline who employees should contact to notify an absence and how they should do so; as well as what a business’s sick pay policy is (statutory or something more generous) and what happens when an employee returns to work.
Employers should insist that team members phone their line manager when not coming in (not text or email) and that a formal return to work interview is always conducted after the absence. This sends out a strong message that while it is okay to be off sick, there are always robust policies to ensure all sickness is genuine.
Ensure that you record sickness absence
Recording sickness absence is essential. It allows employers to monitor excess absence, and observe suspicious patterns of sickness (such as frequent Mondays or Fridays absent, for example) to make informed decisions as to when disciplinary action may be needed.
Offer a company flu jab or other health benefits
When someone gets proper flu, they are ill. They will probably be bedridden for at least a week, and even then not be back to full fitness for another week or two.
This may make the modest cost of the flu jab for a company and its team well worth paying to reduce the chances of such an impactful illness hitting daily operations.
While other health benefits have a perception of coming with a higher price tag, this is not necessarily true.
It is all relative, of course, but a benefit like a health cash plan offers excellent value. It is attractive to staff, coming with discounts on certain private treatments; and, for the employee, it helps them get back to health more quickly if they take up the medical access it offers. If a business has the budget, private medical insurance provides the most firepower for combatting ill health in its team.
Flexible working
Whether flexible working is preferred or not, remote working may be an invaluable tool to maintain productivity during cold and flu season.
Not only may it be the measure that keeps an employee who is too sick to commute, but well enough to work remotely, productive; it will also stop the spread of germs in the workplace, reducing the chances of the rest of a team falling sick. This is especially the case with COVID-19 cases on the rise again.
Flexible working does not work for every business or every employee. If flexible working is not normally embraced, now might be the time for a temporary compromise.
