Everyone has been enjoying a wonderful sporting Summer, with the European Football Championships, tennis at Wimbledon and now the Rio Olympic Games, but these sporting events present a potential headache for employers of increased employee absence due to fake sick days.
According to a recent survey conducted by Kronos Incorporated these events will have a significant impact on absence and associated productivity issues. A sample of 2,020 men and women over the age of 16 across the UK gave their views on absence in general and faking illness. A third of respondents admitted to “throwing a sickie” in the last 12 months. Nearly three-quarters of respondents thought colleagues had faked sickness, potentially amounting to six false sick days a year. 65 per cent of respondents were not worried about the impact on their employer or the consequences to them for having lied. Almost 20 per cent of respondents felt that flexibility, or more specifically the lack of it, contributed to their absence.
So what can employers do about this:
Ø If you do not have an absence policy, you should implement one which is clear on how such issues will be treated. The policy should aim to strike a real balance between the employer and the employee. Communication to employees is key on your policy and how it is to be implemented.
Ø Encourage open communication between employees and managers about planned absences – unplanned absences are far harder to manage and place an additional burden on employers and colleagues.
Ø Consider flexibility on working times – allow earlier starts or finishes to cater for the 5.00pm kick off or later matches, but ensure you can monitor this flexibility for abuse.
Ø Consider unpaid absence, but ensure this is capped and must be approved in advance.
Ø Ensure your policies are enforced – any unauthorised absence which is identified should be treated fairly and, if necessary, as a disciplinary issue.
Ø Don’t fight it – make an event of it. Consider setting up a television where staff can watch main events or provide a few beers for key matches. Again, ensure this is monitored for abuse. You could improve staff morale and encourage greater employee engagement for far longer than the last race.