Management of Absenteeism and Presenteeism within Rail An Update

Transcription

1 Management of Absenteeism and Presenteeism within Rail An Update

2 Our Strategy:

3 Governance RSSB Board Health and Wellbeing Policy Group HWPG Members: Chris Jones, Network Rail / Steve Hails, Crossrail / Michelle Smart, Abellio Greater Anglia / Andrew Edwards, East Midlands Trains / Graham Candy, Atkins / Jonathon Willcock, Alstom / Dr Olivia Carlton, TfL / Peter Fisher, Costain / Mary Sithole, TSSA / Susan Murray, Unite / Dave Bennett, ASLEF / Paul Clyndes, RMT / John Gillespie, ORR Health Economics Group Task and Finish Groups Health and Wellbeing Professions Committee

4 Background Absenteeism and Presenteeism are significant issues within the rail industry. An industry wide report ( Costs of impaired health across the network ) was undertaken to outline the costs to the GB rail industry of poor health and wellbeing, this identified the cost of direct and indirect sickness absence to be approximately 316m each year and the cost of presenteeism (reduced productivity at work due to health problems) estimated at 474m per annum. The combined costs of impaired health are therefore in the region of 790m per annum. Absenteeism and presenteeism are difficult areas to work on within industry as absenteeism has strong entrenched views of management surrounding it and presenteeism is not a term widely accepted within rail. The term presenteeism is often interpreted in different ways. Robertson and Cooper (2011) suggest three attributes to the term: Attending work when unwell Putting in long hours but not working all of the time (often known as face time ) Working at a reduced level because of distractions (for example, going online) The industry roadmapping workshops identified an additional attribute: People who have a health risk factor that inhibits their ability to do their job (for example, obesity and manual work). 4

5 Finding the right project In trying to manage this area the RSSB health and wellbeing team attempted to put forward a number of different projects to the Health and Wellbeing Policy Group to tackle the project area. None of these were regarded as hitting the right spot to tackle the issue and many debates were held within the team to identify what was appropriate. Example Idea 1: Managing complex cases- a blueprint for industry Aims and Objectives The aim of the project is to: Develop a blueprint protocol which can be adapted by other companies or varying sizes to help them manage complex and problematic absences. Once the protocol is developed then this can be trialled across other companies (pilot sites to be identified) to ensure validity across industry Key Deliverables The project deliverable will take the form of a blueprint protocol for managing complex cases of absence which is relevant to wider industry. This blueprint will allow companies to: Approach complex cases from a knowledgeable position Help managers support and arrange appropriate help for those employees who have unaddressed illnesses or problems which are causing a long-term/ complex absence Assist managers in dealing with wider issues such as job dissatisfaction which may be causing absences among employees Advise managers on how to utilise appropriate support and specialist knowledge. 5

6 Finding the right project Example Idea 2: Validating a measure of presenteeism Aims and Objectives The aim of the project is to: Validate a measure of presenteeism which would allow companies to gauge the scale of presenteeism within their organisation and the resulting impact of this. Difficulties in understanding the scale and causes of presenteeism have been consistently raised by managers within industry, a measure of presenteeism will allow them to gauge the breadth of the problem and know what needs to be changed to reduce presenteeism. The project s objective is to provide an industry-relevant measure which can be widely used and which will increase knowledge and understanding of presenteeism within organisations. Key Deliverables The project deliverable will take the form of a validated measure of presenteeism, relevant to industry, which will allow companies to: Gain a clear and quantifiable measure of the scale of presenteeism within their organisation Have a clear understanding of the underlying causes of presenteeism within the workplace Identify areas of work/ the company which could be changed in order to improve presenteeism 6

7 A model of the influences on A&P Culture In response to the problems found in identifying a project within this work space the RSSB Health and Wellbeing team identified a model that sets out the many influences on the A&P culture. This model is now being used to inform discussions on A&P training. (See next slide for the model) 7

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9 Outcome At the December 2015 Health and Wellbeing Policy Group meeting it was decided that the best way to improve the abseneeism and presenteeism culture within rail was to provide better training for line managers. This project area will now be developed through the health training project area identified within the Behavioural Change theme. 9

10 Any comments please contact the RSSB Health and Wellbeing Programme 10