Absence Policy. Current Policies & Processes. Prepared by Carers Trust HR. June pg. 1

Transcription

1 Absence Policy Current Policies & Processes Prepared by Carers Trust HR June 2016 pg. 1

2 Absence Policy Remit Holidays, sickness and all absences are dealt with under this policy. Should you require absence for any other reason not highlighted under this process you are asked to contact your manager. Sickness Policy Sickness and absence can have a major impact on the productivity. We aim to balance the needs of employee attendance with the health and wellbeing of our employees. We support employees during sickness but will take action with frequent short term or prolonged long term absence. We reserve the right to send any employees home who appear to be, or are, unfit for work. Notification If you are absent from work on account of sickness or injury, you (or someone on your behalf) should inform Line Manager of your absence no later than one hour before your start time on the first day of absence. Should you fail to do so this may result is disciplinary action being taken. Short-term Absence When returning to work from any absence (excluding holidays), your manager will formally review your absence record. If in any 3 month period there are 3 separate periods of absence (whether certificated or not), or if there is an unacceptable pattern of absence, for example regular time off on Mondays or Fridays this will be discussed and brought to your attention. Should absence reach unacceptable levels we may take disciplinary action that could include dismissal. Bradford Factor Carers Trust East Midlands utilises the Bradford Factor when calculating absence scores and will decide the level of absence which will trigger an absence review. The rolling period is annual begins from the first occasion of absence. The triggers for an absence review are as follows: pg. 2

3 150 points triggers a letter from the organisation, your attendance will then be monitored for 8 weeks to ensure an improvement points triggers may result in disciplinary action being taken 600 points empowers the organisation to summarily dismiss based on poor attendance Note, there may be exceptions or circumstances which mean we may follow a different criteria in terms of the triggers process, each individual s personal circumstances will be considered. The Bradford Factor absence calculation works as follows: N = Number of Absences D=Total number of days the absences amount to Score=N x N x D Absences which relate to a disability, pregnancy or pregnancy related illnesses will be deemed as underlying ill health and will not be included towards the triggers. When calculating the trigger points (i.e. within rolling 52 weeks) any annual leave taken by the leave during this time must not be included as part of the rolling period. Long-term Absences Long-term absence means any period over 2 weeks. Whilst we remain sympathetic to genuine health problems we will monitor, by phone/visit or any absence over 4 weeks. Home visits will not be made without your consent. If you are on long term sick leave it is expected you will keep us updated as to your progress each week. In addition we may want to keep in touch with you, this may be by home visits, s, phone or text as may be appropriate or you are willing to agree to. Medical Appointments Time off for visits to a Doctor or Dentist or for any other personal matters must be discussed with your Manager prior to the event. Where ever possible you should arrange medical appointments at either the end or start of the working day to limit disruption to your work. You should ask for an appointment card where ever possible to prove the visit where you have been presented with the appointment by a medical body and not able to make or book your own appointments. pg. 3

4 Medical Reports Your employer may, at its discretion, request a medical report be prepared by your GP, Specialist or an Occupational Health Physician. This request will be to gather information so an assessment can be made about your current, and the likelihood of future, health issues and how those will impact on your ability to perform your role and what steps can be taken to assist you. You are expected to co-operate with this request by providing your consent for such information to be obtained when required. You do have a right to refuse, however this may be to your detriment. Such a report will help your employer make informed decisions about your ongoing employment. If you refuse medical reports to be provided to your employer then your employer will make a decision about your fitness to resume work without that information. This is neither in yours or your employers interests, but may be required. Medical Examinations We may in the case of extended periods of absence, require employees to be examined by a medical consultant of its choice in order to seek a medical opinion. If you refuse to be examined, adverse inferences may be drawn and this could potentially be dealt with under our disciplinary procedure. Certification You must provide a self-certification form for the first 7 days of absence. After 7 days you are required to provide a doctors fit note. Fit Notes Should your doctor confirm you may be fit for work suggesting adjustments can be made we will contact you to discuss how we can assist with your return. Should you return in these, new, circumstances we will ensure regular reviews are carried out but you should ask for assistance if necessary. Return to Work You are not able to return to work until your GP confirms you are fit, either by the expiration of a fit note or earlier written notice. pg. 4

5 Sick Pay Carers Trust East Midlands provides SSP and on discretion of the Senior Management with the appropriate delegation authority may provide Company Sick Pay. Saturdays and Sundays shall be included in calculating periods whether or not these are worked. If your working hours vary each week then working hours will be calculated over the previous 12 week period. Disciplinary during Sickness If it is considered that any period of sickness absence is in relation or response to a disciplinary invite letter for any reason then we reserve the right to continue with the process and explain to you the reasons for this decision being made. Capability Capability is a process whereby an assessment is made of your ability to return to your position in the business. Factors assessed to reach this decision by an objective panel may include; length of service, length of illness, reasons for absence, medical reports and information including the expected date of return, importance of your role, ability for you to be replaced, financial cost of you being absent, ability to replace, suitable adjustments, knock on effect to staff/work load or customers, date of return and your engagement in any process. Non Compliance Failure to follow the absence reporting procedure or for excessive or long term sickness may result in disciplinary action, in accordance with the Company s Disciplinary Policy, to be invoked. Potential outcomes could be warnings or may include dismissal. This policy is signed by For and on behalf of To be reviewed in pg. 5