SICKNESS ABSENCE MANAGEMENT POLICY Tayside Contracts aims to ensure the attendance of all employees throughout the working week. However, it recognises that a certain level of sickness absence may arise and employees may be unable to perform their jobs to an adequate standard because of their state of health. It is Tayside Contracts policy to: Monitor and control sickness absence. Minimise any effect, which such absenteeism may have on service standards. Minimise any effect, which such absenteeism may have on those employees at work. In order to achieve these aims it is necessary to ensure that both employees and management cooperate fully and act responsibly in all aspects relating to procedures for the reporting, recording, monitoring and evaluation of sickness absence. Employer Responsibilities To maintain effective procedures for: Sickness absence reporting. Sickness absence monitoring and control. To ensure: Employees are aware of procedures adopted. Supervisors and managers receive appropriate training in relation to their roles in procedures adopted. Employee Responsibilities To be responsible in ensuring that so far as is reasonably possible they protect both themselves and other employees from the risk of infection, injury or undue stress whilst at work. To co-operate with measures to ensure the promotion of good health and the minimisation of sickness and absence levels. To report their inability to attend work in accordance with the sickness absence reporting procedure. SICKNESS ABSENCE REPORTING PROCEDURE In the event of sickness absence from work, you must report your inability to attend in accordance with the following procedure: On the first day of sickness absence notify your line manager/office as soon as practicable but in any event by no later than one hour of normal starting time and advise of likely duration of absence. If sickness begins on a non-working day, notification should be as soon as practicable but in any event by no later than one hour of normal starting time the next working day. The first day of sickness is regarded as the first day of sickness absence. On return to work after 1, 2 or 3 days of sickness absence obtain and fill in a self-certification form. If sickness absence continues to a fourth day notify your line manager/office on that day or the next working day (if that day is non-working) and advise of likely duration of absence. CMT Approved 1 Date Last Reviewed 1 July 2015
On return to work after 4, 5, 6 or 7 days of absence obtain and fill in a self-certification form. If sickness absence continues for 8 days of more by no later than 8th day, obtain medical certificate from Doctor, obtain and fill in a self-certification form and send both to your line manager. Submit further medical certificates to cover any continued absence. NOTE i. All 7 days of the week count when calculating sickness absence including non-working days e.g. if first day of absence is Friday, the fourth day will be the following Monday. ii. Where you fail to comply with the requirements of this procedure entitlement to sickness allowance may cease and disciplinary action may be taken against you. SICKNESS ABSENCE PROCEDURE The aim of the Sickness Absence Procedure is to ensure that monitoring and control of sickness absence is applied in a manner which will be consistent and equitable throughout the organisation and to ensure that employees are treated sympathetically and fairly. Tayside Contracts has adopted this procedure because it does not consider that the monitoring and control of sickness absence should be dealt with under the Disciplinary Procedure. In adopting this procedure Tayside Contracts recognises that any information gained concerning the medical condition of an employee will be regarded as confidential. Tayside Contracts also recognises that in addition to this formal procedure it is good management practice to maintain contact with an employee during a period of absence and to conduct a return to work interview with an employee upon that employee's return to work after sickness absence. PROCEDURE 1. The sickness absence record of all employees will be monitored and assessed on a continuous basis. 2. You will be liable to be called to an interview to discuss your absence record: i when your absence record is significantly worse than those of comparable employees; ii when your absence record creates a particular operational difficulty; iii when you have been absent on 3 or more separate occasions or for a total of 6 working days over a twelve month period; iv when you are about to go on to half pay or no pay in accordance with your sickness allowance entitlement. The decision on whether or not to interview will be made following an initial assessment of the absence record although should you fall within iv above you will be contacted as a matter of course. 3. The initial assessment will determine whether your absence record can be classified under one of two categories - persistent short-term absences or long-term absence. Paragraphs 4-6 below outline general guidelines to be followed for each category. In operating these general guidelines it should be noted: i. you will be treated in accordance with your own individual circumstances which may require a variation from these guidelines; CMT Approved 2 Date Last Reviewed 1 July 2015
ii. interviews should only be arranged after discussion with HR Services. A representative from HR Services will be present at any interview which may lead to dismissal and may be present at all other interviews; iii. you may be accompanied by a trade union representative or fellow employee during an interview; iv. following the completion of each interview a letter will be issued to you within 10 working days confirming the outcome of that interview; v. when you are referred to a Medical Adviser, you will be asked to sign a consent form to enable the Medical Adviser to contact your own Doctor and you will be advised of your rights under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988; vi. a failure to attend an interview and/or agree to be referred to a Medical Adviser may result in a suspension of entitlement to sickness allowance and disciplinary action being taken against you. 4. Where the initial assessment highlights PERSISTENT SHORT TERM ABSENCE the interview will aim to: i. establish any underlying trends, the frequency of and reasons(s) for absence; ii. inform you that the absence record is unacceptable and not conducive to the efficient and effective operation of the service; iii. provide the opportunity for improvement in your absence record over a reasonable period of time during which the record will continue to be assessed; iv. explain what course of action may follow if the improvement sought is not achieved. As an alternative, and based on any information which may arise during i above, the interview may be adjourned to enable you to be referred to a Medical Adviser to determine whether there is an underlying medical condition. Following receipt of the Medical Adviser's report the interview will be reconvened and should there be no underlying condition, will proceed along the lines ii-iv above. Should there be an underlying condition refer to paragraph 6 iii. 5. Should the absence record not improve to a satisfactory level within the predetermined time period a second interview will be arranged. This interview will follow the same format as the first interview and may result in: i. you being granted one further and final period for your absence record to improve to a satisfactory level and being advised that if no such improvement is forthcoming dismissal will be considered; ii. your dismissal - you will have the right of appeal against such a decision. Prior to any decision to dismiss, consideration will be given, if it has not already occurred earlier within the procedure, to refer you to a Medical Adviser to determine whether there is an underlying medical reason for the absence record (if so refer paragraph 6 iii). 6. Where the initial assessment highlights LONG TERM ABSENCE the interview will aim to: i. seek to establish/confirm the reason(s) for absence and its likely duration; ii. inform you; a. that such absence is not conducive to the efficient and effective operation of the service; b. of the employers responsibility to ensure you are capable of doing the job and/or that the work is not detrimental to your health; CMT Approved 3 Date Last Reviewed 1 July 2015
iii. refer you to a Medical Adviser in order to establish the likely length of absence and the long term effect on capability in relation to job performance and attendance at work. Following receipt of the Medical Adviser's report the interview will be reconvened and may result in: a. consideration of a phased return to work; b. consideration to seeking alternative employment; c. ill health retiral; d. dismissal - you will have the right of appeal against such a decision; e. deferral of a decision for a period of time following the expiry of which, and where your absence record does not show significant improvement or you are still unable to return to work, one of the courses of action outlined in a-d above would be followed. NON SICKNESS ABSENCE REPORTING PROCEDURE In the event that you are absent from work for any reason other than sickness you must report your inability to attend in accordance with the following procedure: On the first day of absence - notify your line manager as soon as practicable but in any event by no later than one hour of usual starting time and advise the circumstances requiring your absence and, if at all possible, the likely duration of absence. Thereafter: 1. In circumstances where you have advised your manager of the likely duration of absence, you must contact your manager again, in advance, should you be unable to resume work on the agreed date. 2. If you have been unable to advise the likely duration of absence, you should contact your manager on a daily basis until such time as you can agree a return to work date. NOTE 1. You should make every effort to return to work at the earliest opportunity. 2. In accordance with the National Agreement, your manager will determine whether paid or unpaid leave can be granted for any or all of the period of absence. RIGHT OF APPEAL An appeal may be lodged against a decision to dismiss. Should an employee wish to exercise this right this must be done in writing within 14 calendar days of receiving written confirmation of the outcome of the meeting where the decision was made to dismiss. All appeals will be heard in the first instance by the Managing Director or his nominated representative and the outcome of the appeal will be confirmed in writing within 14 days of the date of the Hearing. Should an appeal against dismissal not be upheld the employee may submit a final appeal by writing to the Managing Director within 14 days of receipt of written confirmation of the outcome of the initial appeal. The Managing Director will arrange for this final appeal to be heard by an Appeals Sub- Committee, comprising elected members of the Tayside Contracts Joint Committee. At an Appeal Hearing the employee has the right to be represented or accompanied by a trade union representative or a work colleague of their choice. It is the responsibility of the employee to arrange the attendance of their representative. CMT Approved 4 Date Last Reviewed 1 July 2015
A representative of HR Services will be in attendance at all Appeal Hearings and will present Tayside Contracts case in those appeals heard by the Appeals Sub-Committee. The decision reached at an Appeal Hearing is final. RELATED POLICIES The Sickness Absence Management Policy links to the following policies which can be accessed on the Intranet, or requested from your line manager or from the HR Admin Team: Disciplinary Policy Performance at Work Policy Time off for Dependents Policy POLICY REVIEW The Sickness Absence Policy will be reviewed annually. Should you have any queries or require further clarification regarding any aspects of this policy or related policies please contact, HR Services on 01382 812721 or employment.policies@tayside-contracts.co.uk CMT Approved 5 Date Last Reviewed 1 July 2015