St. Anne’s, Edgeside, C.E. (A) Primary School and Nursery. Ashworth Rd. Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancs. BB4 9JE
Staff Sickness and Absence Policy
The wording of this policy is taken directly from that contained in the online guidelines of
Lancashire County Council.
Note: Where the policy refers to ‘Line Manager’, this is taken to mean the Headteacher, Deputy
Headteacher, or if unavailable, the School Secretary. Messages with the site supervisor or pass
them on through other members of staff.
What should happen on an employee's first day of sickness absence?
An employee unable to report for duty for any reason (including sickness) must report this to their
line manager (or other nominated person) as soon as possible but no later than 2 hours after their
normal starting time, giving the reasons for their absence. If no contact can be made, the
employee must report their absence to the Directorate HR Consultancy Team.
The employee should state and/or the manager should ask:
A. the reason for absence (NB: 'unwell' will not suffice) – is it related to an existing or potential
disability?
B. the estimated period of absence, check when the absence began
C. whether or not the absence is work related i.e. accident/injury or a recognised form of work
related ill health
D. Details of any outstanding work commitments
E. Enter absence onto online system.
If the absence continues for 4 days, what action should be taken?
Fourth Day of Absence
If the absence continues into a 4th day, the employee must notify their line manager or other
nominated officer of their continued ill health giving (where possible) an indication of the
probable duration of the illness. The fourth day is regarded as the fourth consecutive day of
absence inclusive of rest days and weekends. If the fourth day occurs on a Saturday, Sunday or
Public Holiday and the place of work is closed, notification must be made as soon as possible the
next working day.
If the absence continues for 8 days, what action should be taken?
If the absence continues into an eighth calendar day the employee must:
A. visit their doctor to obtain a medical certificate, this must be forwarded without delay
B. If the employee has stated an intention to return to work on a certain date but finds that they
are unable to do so, a further explanatory telephone call must be made to their line manager
C. Employees should telephone their manager to update them and the medical certificate should
be sent to the manager. Manager should advise employee that medical certificates should be sent
in at regular intervals and certificates must cover all periods of sickness consecutively
E. Maintain contact with employee via phone or by letter
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When does a short term absence become a long term absence?
Long term absence Trigger Points are as follows:
When an employee provides a certificate indicating that they will be absent for a lengthy
period (28 calendar days duration is considered long term)
If absence on successive sick certificates continues over four weeks
If the employee is absent for two weeks due to work-related stress, refer to Occupational
Health and consider the following: how to change their work situation, liaison with your
Directorate HR Consultancy team, consider a different job, team, fewer hours or phased
Return.
Maintain contact with employee via phone, letter or preferred option
What happens if an employee fails to follow the absence reporting procedure?
The employee must be reminded of their responsibilities under the sickness absence reporting
procedure. Continued or repeated failure could lead to cessation of sick pay and disciplinary action
- contact your Directorate HR Consultancy Team for advice in these circumstances.
What if the employee is hospitalised?
If an employee is admitted to hospital they do not need to provide regular certificates but should
submit a certificate when they enter and leave hospital
What is repeated short term absence?
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Short term repeated absence Trigger Points
A certain amount of short-term sickness will occur in any organisation and all short-term absence
should be monitored. However, the following will act as triggers for the manager to take action if
he/she has not done so before.
A total of 10 days' absence in a rolling 12 month period
Any 3 periods of absence in a rolling 12 month period
Regular absence on certain days, i.e. Mondays or Fridays, long shift days, known busy days
etc
Where a combination of odd days, longer periods and patterns of absence exists which
causes the line manager concern (e.g. where sickness absence regularly follows annual
leave)
What action should be taken when an employee has repeated short term absence?
Initially, this should be addressed as part of the Return to Work Interview (RTW).
Action to be taken when an employee returns to duty following sickness absence.
1. Conduct a Return to Work Interview for every period of absence
2. Ensure employee completes the Employee Sickness Declaration Form
3. Ensure the absence is updated online
Why do managers need to undertake return to work interviews?
Return to work interviews have been shown to be the most effective method of reducing the
levels of sickness absence.
What should be the outcome of the return to work interview?
Employees need to be clear about where they stand, and managers must communicate what
happens next at the end of the interview, perhaps in the form of an action plan.
What is the process for referring an employee to Occupational Health?
When a manager has concerns about an employee's health (see above), or if Directorate HR
Consultancy Team identify a sickness trend causing concern from the sickness returns, managers
need to complete the OHU1 form and return it to Lancashire Employee Services.
What if an employee refuses to attend?
It is a requirement of the Council's Sick Pay Scheme that employees so requested shall attend a
medical examination. Refusal to attend may result in suspension of sick pay. Please refer to your
Directorate HR Consultancy Team for guidance.
What if an employee is unable to travel?
Home visits can be arranged in exceptional circumstances – contact Lancashire Employee Services
for guidance.
What if an employee fails to attend an appointment with Occupational Health?
Employees may be granted one postponement if there is a genuine reason for their failure to
attend. Repeated failure can be seen as a breach of the Council's Sick pay scheme and payments
to the employee withheld.
Can employees claim travel expenses for attending an OH referral?
Only by prior arrangement with the Lancashire Employee Services team.
What happens after an employee has visited Occupational Health?
The manager will receive a management report from Occupational Health. If the employee has
indicated that they wish to receive a copy of the report, this will be provided to them by
Lancashire Employee Services. The manager should arrange a meeting with the employee and
his/her representative, to discuss the content of the OH report.
When managers identify that an abuse of the absence procedure has occurred, they should take
action with the advice of the Directorate HR Consultancy Team.
30/06/2010