Controlling Absence Policy HRS_control_of_absence_v1.

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[Company]

CONTROLLING ABSENCE POLICY

Section 1

POLICY

1. It is recognised by [Company] that from time to time staff may require to be absent from their
place of work due to illness. The length of time lost by employees through illness must
however be monitored to ensure that each member of staff is able to do their job, effectively
and without putting themselves or others at risk. It is not the intention of [Company] to
penalise the genuinely sick, however it must be recognised that an employee who is
medically unfit to carry out his/her contractual duties may not be able continue in that
employment.

2. Employees who become aware that they have an illness problem are encouraged to inform
their supervisor / manager at the earliest opportunity. All such information will be confidential
and dealt with as compassionately as possible.

3. [Company] will consider episodes of sickness absence on an individual basis and ensure the
provision of appropriate support, advice and reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
However, it is recognised that in some cases, patterns / levels of absence will fall below
acceptable standards and formal management action will be required.

Section 2

SICKNESS ABSENCE REPORTING AND CERTIFICATION:

Instructions to Employees

On the first day of absence:

4. If you are prevented by sickness or accident from reporting for duty, you must telephone your
supervisor / manager as soon as possible, but no later than one hour after your scheduled
start time to advise them that you are going to be absent from work that day. During this
phone call the reason for and, if possible, the anticipated duration of, your absence should be
given.

5. It is expected that you make this telephone call personally, but if you are unable due to
incapacity, please ask someone to call on your behalf. If you are unable to phone then an
email or text message is acceptable but must be followed up with a phone call as soon as
practicable.

6. [Company] reserves the right for your supervisor / manager to call you during your sickness
absence to check on your welfare or to query any work that needs to be carried out in your
absence.

7. If you don’t report for work, and do not respond to calls from your supervisor / manager, they
will contact your designated emergency contact. You will also receive a letter confirming your
absence as unauthorised which may result in a failure to receive any sick pay. Continued
unauthorised absence will be classed as gross misconduct and will be dealt with under the
Company disciplinary procedures.

On the second and following days of absence:

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8. If you are unsure on a day-to-day basis when you will be returning to work, you must inform
your supervisor / manager on a daily basis of your continuing absence, following the above
procedure.

9. You do not need to inform your supervisor / manager on a daily basis if you have previously
advised of your return date.

If you are absent for over seven days:

10. You must contact your doctor to receive a Fit for Work Certificate which will confirm that for a
specified period, you are either ‘not fit for work’ or ‘may be fit for work’. If this certificate states
you ‘may be fit for work’, your supervisor / manager will discuss any changes or adjustments
with you that might help you to return to work.

11. Your Fit for Work Certificate should be sent to your supervisor / manager as soon after the
eighth day of absence as possible.

12. If absence continues, you must send your supervisor / manager an updated Fit for Work
Certificate on, or before, the expiry of the previous one.

Sickness during Annual Leave

13. If you are sick for 4 working days or more whilst on annual leave you should make your line
manager aware at the time if it is practical to do this. These days will be credited to you as
annual leave, provided you supply a fit note from your GP to cover the period of sickness.
This period of sickness will be paid in line with our normal sick pay arrangements.

Section 3

OVERVIEW OF PROCEDURAL STAGES FOR DEALING WITH PERSISTENT ABSENCES

14. On return from absence all employees must be interviewed by their immediate line manager.
At this interview the employee and the line manager must complete a 'Return to Work
Interview' form agreeing the reason for the absence, the period of absence and, where
appropriate, what course of action is required as a result of the absence. This form must be
signed by both parties before being forwarded to the employees personnel file. This form also
incorporates a sickness self-certification form which covers absences of 7 days or less.

Stage 1

15. In situations where an employee's sickness record is giving some cause for concern, then the
employee's Line Manager will discuss those concerns with the employee, providing support
and counselling where appropriate. It is essential that any message conveyed in this manner
is clear and unambiguous.

Stage 2

16. If there is no obvious improvement in the health of the employee or there are signs of patterns
emerging in an employee's absence (e.g. taking regular Mondays off sick) then the line
manager will arrange to meet the employee to 'formally' review the employee’s case. At this
formal stage, the employee must be offered the opportunity for appropriate representation by
a work colleague or trade union official.

17. The employee must be given the outcome of this meeting in writing and where appropriate
they must be given notice that their level of absence is unacceptable and a period of time to
improve.

Stage 3

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Controlling Absence Policy HRS_control_of_absence_v1.1

18. If the employee fails to improve in the given time scale then a formal second Review Meeting
must be undertaken by the manager (or if possible a more senior manager). Again, the
employee must be offered the opportunity for appropriate representation by a work colleague
or trade union official at this meeting.

19. In order to obtain a medical opinion on the employee's health prior to the meeting the
employee may be asked to attend for an Occupational Health / Company Approved Doctor
appointment, or be asked to authorise a medical report from his / her GP. The employee will
be given a copy of any medical reports obtained. Where appropriate the employee will be
given notice that their level of absence is unacceptable and that they are being given a period
of time during which to reduce their level of absence. The employee must also be informed at
this stage that any further absences may result in their employment being terminated.

Stage 4

20. If there is still no improvement within the laid down time scale a review will be held with the
appropriate Senior Manager / Director in the chair. The employee must be offered the
opportunity for appropriate representation at this meeting. The Director / Manager will review
all the available evidence including any medical reports.

21. If there are no special circumstances the employee will be dismissed on the grounds of
capability because of their inability to meet the acceptable standards of attendance required
by [Company].

Section 4

APPEALS

22. Every employee has the right to appeal against the outcome of any formal review stage of the
absence procedure. The basis of an appeal should normally relate to one of the following
areas:

 that the Policy had not been followed correctly.

 that the resulting action was inappropriate.
 that the need for action was not warranted.

Appeals against the formal stages of this Procedure

23. An appeal should be put in writing to the appropriate Director / Senior Manager / Owner. The
letter of appeal may be constructed by the employee or their representative. The letter should
contain the grounds for appeal and should be lodged within 7 days of receipt of the issue of a
formal letter. An appeal hearing should be arranged within 7 days of receipt of the appeal
letter. An appeal against Dismissal will be considered in the same way, but should be heard
by the owner / a Director / senior manager who, if possible, has not previously been involved
in the case.

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Controlling Absence Policy HRS_control_of_absence_v1.1

Section 5

PROCEDURES CHECK LIST

Stage 1

Return to Work Interview

This is an informal part of the Procedure, however in order to give the process credibility the following
rules should be followed:
 Every employee should complete a 'Return to work interview' form with their
immediate line manager.

 Interviews should be carried out in an area where there will be no

interruptions and where both parties may feel at ease.

 The employee should always be informed of the reason for the meeting.

 The meeting should be prefaced by an indication of concern for the employee

as well as the need for the Manager to be aware of the health of his/her
employees.

 The employee should be encouraged to discuss any problems they may be

having with their health and to actively contribute to the solution to the
problem.

 Any apparent problem or patterns of absence should be brought to the

employee’s attention.

 All relevant absence documentation must be recorded on the employees

personnel file.

Counselling
 As the first step in procedure it is vital that the message conveyed is clear
and unambiguous.

 Prior to counselling, full details of the employee’s absence record along with
reasons should be available.

 The employee should be made aware of the date and location of the Meeting
and the reasons for it.

 The employee should be given the opportunity to explain absence records

and present any evidence required.

 If there are medical problems it may be necessary to adjourn the Meeting for
medical advice.

 The Manager will advise the employee of the outcome of the meeting and
where appropriate of the need for improvement of their current absence level.
Written confirmation of the outcome of the meeting will be given to the
employee and a copy recorded on their personnel files.

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Stage 2
 Prior to calling a hearing, full details of absence record along with reasons
should be made available to all participants.

 The employee should be made aware of the date and location of the Review
and the reasons for it.

 In addition, they should be informed of the right to be represented at the

Review.

 The employee should be given the opportunity to explain absence records

and present any evidence required.

 If there are medical problems it may be necessary to adjourn the Meeting for
medical advice.

 The Manager should set out clearly the improvements expected and the time
scale over which these improvements must be achieved.

 The employee should be informed in writing of the requirements and the time
scale and advised that the warning is to be recorded on his record.

 Any warning letter should be copied to the Trade Union Representative if

present at the hearing. The employee must be informed of their right to
appeal against this decision.

 Any warnings issued will remain on the record for 12 months.

Stage 3
 If there has been no improvement in the absence record in the period set at
the first Review or there has been a further breach of policy during the
lifetime of a written warning then the employee must be informed and asked
to attend a Second Review. In addition, they should be informed of the right
to be represented at the Review.

 Medical reports must be sought prior to the date of the Meeting and results
made available to both parties.

 The employee should be given the right to present any evidence in mitigation.

 The employee should be informed of the need to improve their record and the
possibility of dismissal if they do not do so. The employee must be informed
of their right to appeal against this decision. (see Appeals). This should be
confirmed in writing to the employee and held on their personnel file for 18
months.
Stage 4
 The employee must be given full details of the case and the possible
consequences prior to attendance. The employee must also be informed of
their right to representation at this meeting.

 All medical evidence should be taken and considered before a final decision
is taken.

 If the decision is taken to dismiss the employee then this should be done by
giving full entitlement to notice (even if sick pay is exhausted).

 The employee must be informed of their right to appeal against this decision.
(see appeals).

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Controlling Absence Policy HRS_control_of_absence_v1.1

[Company]
RETURN TO WORK INTERVIEW FORM (incorporating Sickness Self-Certificate Form)

If you’re off work for seven days or less please complete this form. In addition, if you have been sick
for more than 7 days you must also provide a fit note from your doctor. Please note failure to comply
with this might mean you will lose any entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay.

Name

Designation

Department

First Day of Absence

Last Day of Absence

Total number of days of sickness

Total number of days off work

Is absence due to an injury at work? YES/ NO

Have you seen a doctor? YES/ NO

Reason for absence (Please give a brief description of the illness or other reason for absence)

Action taken (please give a brief description of any action taken to date)

Any proposed courses of action

I understand that if I knowingly provide inaccurate or false information regarding my absence it may
result in disciplinary action

Employees Signature Date

Managers Signature Date

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