In this final absence-related blog, I’m going to look at making the most of Occupational Health referrals and implementing reasonable adjustments. Occupational Health Sometimes it might seem that Occupational Health is a pointless and expensive exercise. But an Occupational Health report is only as good as the referral you make. The purpose of Occupational Health…

This episode follows on from ‘Managing persistent short-term absences’ and will focus on managing staff on long-term sickness leave. First of all, what constitutes a “long-term” absence? Four weeks. It’s that simple. Any absence lasting four or more calendar weeks is deemed to be “long-term”. Why is managing long-term absence any different?  Essentially, it doesn’t…

We’ve all been there. Everything’s going swimmingly and then a member of staff goes off sick. Work needs reallocating, cover needs arranging, you have a situation to manage. How long will they be off? How many times has this employee been off so far If the answer to the first question is “more than a…

In our latest HR clinic, Robyn Clark (aka JacksonR) and Susi O’Brien (HR Help advisor) explored the issues of managing persistent short-term absence. Here is a summary of the questions we received, and the answers given. Let’s go over some basic principles first before we jump into the questions! Firstly, we have to remember that…

“I want to make a complaint” is never a phrase we relish hearing, and it can be all too jarring to hear it from the mouths of our own staff. But that is essentially what a grievance is – a complaint about the working environment. So how do you as a manager deal with grievances?…

Better health, poorer finances and the removal of the compulsory retirement age means that our working population is getting older. A recent government report “Future of an Ageing Population” predicts that by 2040 in the UK, “nearly one in seven people is projected to be aged over 75”. Here are our 3 tips for managing…

Pressure on all general practice staff is at an unprecedented high. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day as it is and then, out of the blue, a GP calls in to say they can’t make it into work today. What can you do to cover this absence? First of all, as one practice…