| Dealing with Absenteeism | | | | disciplinary approach, the employer will need to have |
| The level of absenteeism by way of frequent | | | | complied with certain standards including:- |
| short-term sickness absence is an issue of serious | | | | (a) The employer should set out attendance standards |
| concern to most businesses. The employer should deal | | | | in a policy made known to employees to ensure that |
| carefully and sympathetically with disabled employees | | | | employees know where they stand and that there is |
| and those who are absent through long-term illness but | | | | consistency between employees. |
| businesses are entitled to adopt rigorous standards | | | | (b) The employee should not be given warnings or be |
| when it comes to dealing with frequent short-term | | | | dismissed without a formal disciplinary hearing and a |
| absence for various unrelated reasons. | | | | right to appeal. |
| The first method of dealing with absenteeism is | | | | (c) The employer needs to check that the frequent |
| through financial incentives. The employer might | | | | short term absences are not all linked and are part of |
| monthly bonuses for 100% attendance and, at the | | | | one underlying condition. If there is an underlying |
| same time, pay no sick pay at all for the first three | | | | condition, then the employer must follow a different |
| days of sickness absence. | | | | (and more complex) process prior to dismissal. |
| The alternative is to adopt an absenteeism policy and | | | | (d) The employer must assume that all sickness |
| follow a disciplinary approach. The law allows | | | | absences are genuine. The allegation that a particular |
| employers to issue warnings and then dismiss | | | | sickness absence is not genuine is an allegation of |
| employees who fail to meet the established standards | | | | misconduct and is a quite separate matter. |
| of attendance. For example, some polices provide that | | | | (e) There are certain kinds of sickness absence that |
| employees will be issued with a written warning after | | | | need to be disregarded as part of an absenteeism |
| four separate periods of sickness absence in any | | | | policy and this includes any sickness absence relating |
| rolling twelve month period. The employee progresses | | | | to pregnancy as well as time off to look after |
| to a final written warning after two further periods of | | | | dependents and for various kinds of statutory leave. |
| sickness absence in the following six months and is | | | | Assuming that the above conditions are satisfied and |
| then dismissed if there are two further periods of | | | | the employer has properly followed an established |
| sickness absence in the final six months. This kind of | | | | absenteeism policy, the employee who is dismissed is |
| absenteeism policy will generally be upheld by the | | | | almost certain to lose an unfair dismissal claim. In |
| Employment Tribunal and any dismissal will be found to | | | | practice, the introduction of a rigorous absenteeism |
| be fair. | | | | policy can have a positive effect on attendance levels. |
| In order to justify dismissal on the basis of the | | | | |