Sickness absence is in the news again!

As HR people, when sicknotes, SSP and getting people back to work have all featured in the news we pay attention.? Our role in HR is to find the balance between supporting the employee and protecting the employer and it is not always straightforward. ?

In the centre of each case is the relationship between an employee and an employer. ?

Here are 4 things you can be doing to ensure sickness absence is getting the right attention:?

1. Be clear and practical on how your team should communicate their absence.
2. Always complete a return to work. It will ensure you pick up any issues that may need support or attention.
3. Check your absence records, are there any trends that you need to be curious about??
4. Have you got the right systems and processes to ensure business continuity when a team member is sick??

At Penny Jones HR our approach to HR is about being proactive. You can also take a proactive approach to your teams’ sickness. Here are some helpful tips:?

• Do not encourage presenteeism and prevent illness being spread amongst the team.
• Encourage health and wellbeing in the workplace.
• Support vaccination programmes e.g. free flu jabs for the team.
• Suitable private healthcare or health cash back schemes can also be helpful for accessing support quickly.

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If you would like to discuss a specific absence case with us or you would like us to train your managers on how to better manage absence and support their team please email us: ?[email protected] ??

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Employment Law changes?

In April there were a number of significant changes to employment law which we have featured in previous newsletters.? If you haven’t quite got round to updating your people policies or employee handbook, we can do this for you. Just drop us an email and we will be happy to help. [email protected] ?

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Insights Discovery Update??

We don’t often talk about Insights Discovery in our newsletter and I’m not sure why as I’ve used the personality profiling tool for over 15 years and I love it!? If you would like to know more about fiery red’s, sunshine yellows, earth greens and cool blues have a look on our website? https://www.pennyjoneshr.com/insights-discovery/

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Evolved Manager Masterclass??

From May the lunch & learns are being replaced with Evolved Manager Masterclasses. They will explore the behaviours that are needed by people managers who want to enjoy doing their job and also achieve success through their team.? The Evolved Manager Masterclass will cover subjects including self awareness, impact on others, management style, communication skills and building relationships.? ?

Our May session will ask the question Why is Self Awareness Important for a Manager? It will include the opportunity for the manager to increase their self awareness and give them some practical activities to use with their team.? If you or your colleagues would like to join, follow the link for more details https://evolved.pennyjoneshr.com/llmay