Can you dismiss an employee for non attendance?
There’s an agony aunt column that answers workplace relations questions that is causing a bit of a stir around these parts. This question in particular has caused discussion around whether it was answered “correctly” and what advice could/should have been given.
Of all the workplace issues, dealing with repetitive absence must surely be one of the most difficult. It brings all the elements that people dread together: complicated legislation, personal discussions, unpredictability..
There will always be specific circumstances which genuinely are difficult and need expert advice and support for all parties. But in general, absence can be managed, and it doesn’t have to be hard.
What can you do to encourage attendance and deal with absence?
I have spoken before about the Royal Mail Attendance Project that I was involved with in UK. What was interesting about this project was that the research showed us that it was the very simple things that made a difference when it came to managing absence and encouraging attendance.
- Being proactive. That is, don’t wait until there is an issue and it has gotten so bad that you want to dismiss the employee. Rather, deal with every absence up front using a two prong approach:
- Genuine care and concern for the employee in a return to work interview. Are they ok? Are they fit to return to work? Is there anything else that needs to be done from a safety and wellbeing perspective? Research shows that having immediate return to work interviews with the employee’s manager before the employee recommences work has the biggest impact on attendance at work.
- Impact on the team. Usually, absence, particularly repeated absence, has an disproportionate impact on the employee’s team members who need to pick up the slack. It is a bit of a fine art making sure that those that are genuinely sick are not punished for being sick, whilst ensuring that those that are slacking off are told clearly about the impact that their actions are having on their team and the organisation.
- Make it personal. An employee who is absent should speak to their Manager rather than a mate or reception or leave a message on an answering machine. Obviously there will be some circumstances where this is not possible, but by and large, taking accountability and owning your non attendance does make an impact on an employee deciding whether they are going to “chuck a sickie”.
- Language — using positive language around attendance rather than absence
- Thanking those that do have excellent attendance.
Of course, simple things are not always easy to do. Managers often resist having return to work interviews, because they don’t want to interfere in the personal lives of their employees. Or the return to work interviews are an exercise in tick the box..”I’ve been told to ask you these questions ……tick, tick, tick.” Having these interviews is an absolute skill, and one that can be learnt and practiced. And it’s worth learning and practicing, because it works when it is done well. The easiest way to explain why it works is the concept of “broken windows”. If it’s obvious that no-one cares (the building has graffiti, broken windows, long weeds blowing in the wind), then there is less incentive to care about the building. Where it is clear that the building matters (graffiti is removed quickly, broken windows fixed, paint kept shiny and clean), then there is more incentive to keep it that way. From an absence/attendance perspective, if an employee knows that there will be a return to work interview every single time they return from an absence, and they know that someone cares (and that there an impact/consequence to their absence), it does make a difference.
There’s one other element around addressing attendance/absence. And that’s looking at the bigger picture. Often absence can be a result of an employee’s life outside of work being chaotic (sick partner or kids or parents, marital issues, childcare issues, financial issues). Equally, sometimes it can be about something that is happening at work. Either from a lack of engagement/motivation perspective or something more insidious (harassment, bullying). Being open to the bigger picture can help address the issue before it gets out of hand.
So, that’s my take on it. Address the issue compassionately and consistently before it becomes an issue, and you won’t be needing to write to Aunty B for her advice.
Until next week, happy reading.
