SICKNESS ABSENCE (Employees with a start ... - Pilgrims Hospices

SICKNESS ABSENCE
(Employees with a start date post January 2010)
Absence costs organisations a small fortune each year. Whilst appreciating that there
are times when we are simply not well enough to come to work, it is our aim to
ensure that we keep absence levels as low as we possibly can to guarantee the high
quality service we deliver to our patients is timely and cost effective.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM UNWELL?
If you are too ill to attend work, it is vital that you call in to your line manager as soon
as you can but certainly before your normal hours or shift is due to start. If you are
not able to make contact with your line manager, you must call the HR Department
on 01227 812612. You must make this call yourself unless you are physically unable.
Please do not send a text and only leave a message on voicemail if your call is out of
hours.
In all absence cases, the Line Manager is responsible for completing part A of an
Absence Record form as soon as a call is received. The top two copies of this are
sent immediately to HR and the third copy is kept in the department. If you anticipate
you may be off for more than 2 days, you must arrange with your Line Manager how
you will maintain contact and on what frequency until your return. The Hospice has
the right to maintain regular contract with you during your sickness absence.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO ON MY RETURN?
You will meet with your Line Manger on your first day back. At this meeting you will
compete part B of the Absence Record form and a Return to Work interview (RTW)
will be conducted. The objectives of the return to work interviews will be to:-
• establish cause of absence
• indicate the Hospices’ concern about the welfare of the employee
• have a confidential discussion on general attendance record or any other
issues
• update returning employee of any work events missed during his or her
absence
• advise employees of difficulties and problems caused by absences
• where there is a problem, indicate that any recurring short term absence may
be dealt with more formally
Part B of the Absence Record form and the RTW form must both be sent
immediately to HR. This is compulsory and applies to ALL staff.
WHAT IF I HAVE A GP CERTIFICATE?
As soon as you are issued with a GP certificate, this must be sent into your Line
Manager who will pass it to HR. You will be expected to provide additional certificates
until you return without any gaps between the dates. Failure to provide appropriate
GP certificates may result in pay being withheld.
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It is likely that if you have a GP certificate your absence may be a little longer than a
few days. Please ensure you keep your manager fully informed with regard to your
progress and likely return to work date.
On your return, a part B Absence Record form and a Return to Work interview will be
completed as stated above. GP certificates are required for sickness any longer than
7 days in total, including rest days.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY LONG TERM OR SHORT TERM ABSENCE?
Short term absence is generally odd days when you are unable to attend work.
When absence reaches 3 weeks we consider this to be longer term. This may be as
a result of an operation or an accident and in all cases will be certificated by your GP.
IF I AM OFF LONG TERM, WHAT HAPPENS?
This will depend very much on the reason for your absence. You will be submitting
GP certificates to us and you will be in regular contact with your GP. We have some
options available to us when absence is long term. These may be:
• Wait until your GP determines you are fit for work and this is acceptable to the
Hospice
• Ask you to visit an occupational health practitioner to assess your health and
working ability
• Ask you to return on a phased basis i.e. fewer hours or days, until you return to
full fitness
In all cases of long term sickness, you will be in contact with your Line Manager as
agreed at the outset, but at least once per month, and they will keep HR informed of
your progress. Because of this contact we will be able to discuss with you the best
way to ease you back into work when the time comes.
WHY MIGHT I BE REFERRED TO AN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
PRACTITIONER?
We work closely with a local Occupational Health provider for a number of reasons.
All new staff are required to complete a medical questionnaire to assess their health
and suitability in relation to the job they do. We also refer staff to Occupational Health
when they may have been absent for some time or their absence record is giving us
cause for concern due to the number of days taken compared to the national average
for our type of work. This average is approximately 10 days per year. Unlike a GP,
Occupational Health not only take into consideration your health but look at this in
relation to the role you perform. They are therefore able to tell us if there are any
issues relating to the work you do and how we may be able to overcome these.
You may be asked to see Occupational Health and the cost of this is borne by the
Hospice. It is important to note that we ask staff to see Occupational Health for a
reason. If you refuse to attend an arranged appointment, you must be aware that
decisions may be made regarding your employment without the full medical
information being available to us. This may also affect your sick pay entitlement and
could reduce your pay to SSP only.
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IS MY PAY AFFECTED IF I AM OFF SICK?
Once an employee successfully completes their probation period, they are entitled to
company Sick Pay (CSP). Until probation is complete, staff will receive SSP only.
Company sick pay is paid on the following basis:
Length of service Full Pay Half Pay
4-12 months 2 weeks 2 weeks
Over 1 year 4 weeks 4 weeks
Over 2 years 8 weeks 8 weeks
When calculating sick pay allowances, we use a rolling year. The first day of the first
period of sickness becomes the first day of the rolling year sickness entitlement.
When you go off sick, we will look back to the same date 12 months ago to see what
sickness has been paid during this time. The above pay basis will be used. Once all
CSP entitlement has been used in any rolling year Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) only will
be paid. If CSP has been exhausted, due to the nature of the rolling year, it may take
a little while until more sick pay can be paid. Any deviation from this will be at the
discretion of the Chief Executive only.
Where SSP only is due, it will be payable for periods of sickness of 4 days or more
duration only providing all requirements have been met.
WHAT ACTION MIGHT BE TAKEN IF I AM OFF SICK?
Your Line Manager uses a monitoring system that records staff work hours, sickness,
holidays etc. This can be accessed by Human Resources. We monitor closely our
staff sickness rates in order that we are able to identify any issues in this area. It is
vital we address issues expediently to ensure our staff remain at work and are able to
continue to provide high levels of care.
If your absence is higher than we would expect, this will in the first instance be
identified at your Return to Work interview (RTW). What we mean by high absence is
anyone who has more than 10 days in a rolling year or 6 occurrences of sickness.
Your Line Manager is required to complete the RTW form stating the number of days
off on this occasion, in this calendar year and in the rolling year and how many
occurrences there have been.
A high level of absence may trigger a series of actions as follows:
• A letter from the Head of HR advising you that your absence is higher than we
would expect and effort is needed to try to reduce this
• A meeting with a Senior Manager or the Chief Executive to consider the effect
your absence has on the service we are able to deliver
• A referral to Occupational Health to see if there is any underlying cause for your
high absence levels (This may be necessary at any stage)
• Formal disciplinary action may also result. Please see the disciplinary
procedure for further details
At any stage, it is likely that targets will be set to achieve in relation to future absence
levels.
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ABSENCE THAT IS NOT GENUINE SICKNESS
If it is suspected that an employee has called in sick but this is not genuine e.g. a
holiday absence is being covered by sick leave, then further enquiries are essential
and will be made by Line Managers. If there is evidence of non genuine sickness or
fraud then this will be dealt with through the disciplinary process. HR will advise on
this process.
EMPLOYEES WITH SPECIAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
Consideration will be given to introducing measures to help employees, regardless of
status or seniority, who are suffering from alcohol or drug abuse. Please see the
appropriate policy for further details. The Hospices will seek guidance from
Occupational Health in certain circumstances who will let us know if we need to make
any adjustments in the workplace.
IS THE ABSENCE DUE TO A DISABILITY?
An employee who is suffering long term illness may be regarded as “Disabled” if that
illness will impair the employee’s ability to carry out daily tasks (or would do so if the
employee was not receiving medication) for a period in excess of 12 months. The
Disability Discrimination Act would apply in these circumstances and we will ensure
that reasonable adjustments are considered in the workplace as appropriate.
IS THERE ANY HELP AVAILABLE FOR ME REGARDING MY HEALTH?
Yes. The Hospice offers the following support to our staff:
• Occupational Health referrals
• Health Promotion days
• Independent counselling service where staff can self refer and obtain 7
sessions without cost to themselves
Human Resources are happy to offer advice regarding any of the above details
Lead and Author Head of Human Resources
Date April 2010
Policy Version No
Policy application Hospice wide
Approving body
Review April 2012
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RETURN TO WORK INTERVIEW
Employee’s name: _________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Department: ______________________________________________________
Date of Absence: From: __________________ To: _____________________
Date of Interview: _________________________________________________
Conducted by: ___________________________________________________
Number of days absent this time:
______________________
Number of days Absent Calendar Year to Date: ______________________
Number of days Absent Rolling Year to Date: ______________________
Number of Absence Occurrences in rolling year: ______________________
REASONS FOR ABSENCE:
Recommendations made as a result of interview:
Signed ……………………………………..
Manager
Signed ……………………………………..
Employee
Dated …………………………….
Dated ……………………………..
Please return this form to HR in Canterbury attached to part B of the absence form.
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