Helping you tackle sickness absence issues sensitively, effectively and legally

  • Sickness absence can have a considerable effect on your business, whether employees are off work for extended periods or you have concerns about how to tackle the issue.
  • A properly drafted sickness policy can help provide clarity for staff and help you avoid potential claims of discrimination.
  • We will use our extensive experience to support you, by reviewing and amending your sickness policy, or drafting a new policy and helping you tackle any issues with persistent sickness absence that is affecting your business.

What is absence management?

Absence management includes processes and policies an employer has in place to monitor and manage employee absences, including absence due to illness, personal circumstances, or other reasons.

Sickness absence can be anything from short term, where a member of staff is off work for a day or two, to long term, where a member of staff is off work for months or even years. There can be many reasons behind a member of staff taking time off work for sickness, from stress to recovery time after an operation. The procedure you should adopt when a member of staff is off sick can vary considerably depending on the type of sickness, and your business will benefit from clear legal guidance.

Whether you are worried about general sickness absence, want to ensure you have a clear policy in place to tackle this issue or your business is currently having problems with a member of staff off sick, our practical advice can help.

Drafting a sickness absence policy

Having a clear sickness absence policy in place can help your business when a member of staff becomes unwell. A set policy can help avoid claims of discrimination and also mean that workers know what to do, should they become unwell.

Trusted advice from employment specialists

Whether you are concerned about one particular member of staff’s sickness absence or you believe this to be a problem in your business generally, our advice can help handle this tricky area effectively and legally.

Our specialist employment team has extensive experience of advising employers, HR consultants and business owners about conducting sickness absence meetings, investigations, hearings and dismissals. Whatever the problem and steps necessary to resolve it, we will guide you through each step to ensure the best possible outcome for your business.

We also have a wealth of experience in reviewing, amending and drafting bespoke sickness absence policies. The clarity we bring will ultimately benefit your business and the employees alike.

With our experienced team based across our offices in Guildford, London, Richmond, Southampton, Lymington and Woking, we’re ideally placed to offer our expert advice and support to businesses both locally and nationally.