Absence management has become very much a part of modern day industrial relations. There are very few occasions when the media, in one for or another, are not reporting on how much absence is costing businesses. As the new absence management procedure was implemented on 1st February 2004 an Absence Manager was appointed to monitor the issues caused by absence and where possible educate people as to the long term effects this may have on their own position and that of the company.
Procedure
As part of my role as a Human Resources Advisor it is my responsibility to complete an absence record card for each of the warehouse Colleagues on the afternoon shift. If a Colleague is absent from work they are expected to telephone a designated absence line and leave a message, or to submit a medical certificate from their Doctor. This information is then transferred onto their Absence Record card (Appendix A). When they return to work their Supervisor will conduct a brief interview with them to ascertain why they were absent from work. An example of the form used at this Return To Work interview can be seen at the back of this report (Appendix B). This form is a primary source of data as it is captured initially from the individual, the warehouse Colleague and recorded by a supervisor. The first page of the Return to Work form commences with the Colleagues detail and employee number. This is requested to avoid the information being recorded on the wrong Absence record card. The employee number is unique to that individual, this is very helpful in cases where there are two people with the same or similar name employed. The first and last date of absence is record so that days can be verified with Human Resources. It is also essential that Human Resources have this information so that they can verify that these dates correspond with any medical certification received from the Colleagues doctor. Such information is also essential for insurance purposes because, if a Colleague is still covered by a current medical certificate signed by their doctor they are not fit for work. If they were allowed to remain in work the business would be liable for any undue consequences or accident incurred by them. The next section of the form details the symptoms and whether a visit to the doctors was felt necessary, for this information we can gather if the Colleague is in fact fit for work and, more importantly, if they are on any medication which may affect or restrict the duties they can complete. The Supervisor in the presence of the Colleague completes the second page of the Return to Work document. Its purpose is to clarify information provided and verify its accuracy. This interview may also be the initial step towards a disciplinary investigation, which may ultimately transpire, into a disciplinary hearing, which will consequently result in potential disciplinary action. For this reason it is vital that the Supervisor explains to the Colleague the consequences of providing inaccurate or insufficient data. As with any form of data or information it is only as accurate as the source or method of collection allows it to be, however, in this case because of potential outcome it is hoped that the Colleague has been completely truthful. Once this form has been completed it is passed to Human Resources where the information on it is crossed checked with the Absence Record of that individual.
The data on the absence record cards can then be classed as a Secondary Data source as someone else has collected it. The information on the Absence Records card is then recorder on an Absence Tracker Spreadsheet (Appendix C). Due to the way in which this spreadsheet is comprised it is then possible to see what the absence percentage is for each shift on any given day.
As with all types of Secondary Data its validity can never be completely guaranteed as someone else has collected it. The validity of the information on the Return to Work form can be crossed checked by the Human Resources Advisor by comparing it to that recorded on the Absence Record card. This information having been recorded by the Human Resources Advisor either from a phone call from the Colleague or details on a Medical Certificate.
Occasionally the dates do not correspond. In such an instance I have had to contact the Supervisor for clarification of dates.
Findings
The national average for absence is 6.2% of the workforce. On Monday 18th October 2004 the daily absence figures for the Haydock depot were 17.2% on early shift, 11.28% on the afternoon shift and 6.8% on the night shift. This brought the overall depot average to 11.76%. An absence percentage this high would clearly have a negative effect on the business operating potential. It was estimated that since the start of that week on Sunday 17th October 2004 absence alone had cost the depot £8K. Absence can be either short term lasting for up to a week, but in extreme circumstances can be longer, even extending to a number of months. This information is briefed out daily to Colleagues in the format shown in Appendix D.It would possibly be advantageous to supply a graphical representation of this information as some people find graphs easier to comprehend, see Appendix E).
This information can however be flawed as several Supervisors are responsible for each particular section on each shift. Often Colleagues book last minute holidays or arrange rest day swaps at short notice, if a Supervisor fails to record this information in a place accessible to all, and then themselves fails to attend work a Colleague can be recorded as absent when in fact they have a valid reason for not attending work. As the figures are recorded on a daily basis, shortly after the commencement of shift the percentages will not be accurate.
Conclusions
- An absence percentage so high above the national average cannot be sustained long term.
- Colleagues should be made aware of the potential outcome of sustained or regularly repeated absence. The Colleague may be dismissed or Sainsbury’s will look to re-locate the operation.
- Sainsbury’s should monitor the reasons work towards combating some of the issues.
- To avoid discrepancies over absence, holidays and rest day swaps it would be advantageous to have a board on each department to record such information so that Supervisors can see at a glance who should be in work.
- Workshops to be attended by all levels to highlight absence problems, the Return to Work process and the consequences of not attending work on a regular basis-disciplinary procedure.
Recommendations
- As highlighted above the use of an information board may alleviate some confusion in data collection.
- Also educating Colleagues about the Return to Work and Absence disciplinary process would be advantageous.
- Regular audits on Return to Work forms would ensure that consistency was being maintained over all shifts. It would also highlight any discrepancies being made such as inaccurate recording of information i.e. incorrect dataset.
- Absence manager should aim to identify trends or patterns to the absence. This may be a specific reason to an individual such as repeated colds, stomach problems or muscle strain. In more extreme circumstances absence can be caused by working on a particular shift pattern or for a certain Supervisor, an example of this being work related stress.
- Where a pattern has been identified the absence manager should look to pursuing one of the following measures:
-Retraining in the case of muscle strain etc. Many people working in a warehouse environment fail to conduct correct manual handling thus causing long term or permanent damage to himself or herself.
-Referral to the Occupational Heath Advisor in the instance of reoccurring illness. It may be that an individual is neglecting their well-being. As part of the warehouse consists of a chilled environment people working in such an area are vulnerable to colds, chest infections etc.
-Involvement of senior management if the problem is with a particular shifts or related possibly in some way to a Supervisor. The management of any workplace have a duty of care to its employees to protect them from bullying and harassment whilst at work. This particular problem is accounting for more and more absence from work.
- Consult Health and Safety Advisor. It may be that a particular working practise, or the environment tasks are being carried out in maybe causing problems. Also if a new supplier of products are engaged it could be that the way in which the goods are being presented is causing accidents or demoralisation which result in absence.
- It would be in the best interest of management to conduct short workshops with all Colleagues to highlight the effects of absence on the business and the potential effect it could have on their continued employment with the company. Once this has been conducted absence figures and the cost to the depot should be displayed in a prominent position within the depot. In Reception, the Staff restaurant or near Human Resources would be ideal locations. All Colleagues would then be able to see the effect the level of absence is having.
- Rewarding continued and sustained attendance at work by offering Sainsbury’s vouchers could prove to be an advantage.
Written by
Karen Harper Human Resources Advisor November 2004
Bibliography
(28th October 2004)
(28th October 2004)
Warren, Neil, (2004) HNC Business Studies-Managing information.
