Is sickness causing you a headache?

I often find myself being asked my view as to how to reduce sickness levels in practice.

Sickness can be a real problem in a small business setting where we are all very reliant on each other in order to operate successfully.

The first thing I ask a practice manager is what the policy on sickness is and if all the team are aware it. I believe this is the ideal starting point.

Many managers now feel very concerned about the “employees rights and the legalities associated with sickness” and as a result dont take any action when the employee phones in.
Dental teams need to be very aware of what will happen in the event of them phoning in on a Monday morning to declare they are unfit to attend.

Practices need to have a very clear sickness policy which includes a framework of what will happen in the event of sickness. As well as the usual copy in the practice manual I really advise each staff member having their own copy. Sickness should also be covered during induction so all team members are very clear of what they should do and what they can expect us (the management team to do) in the event of absence.

Initally it is the responsibility of the employee to contact the practice, if they dont they are in breach of contract. If they dont contact you it is perfectably acceptable and “legal” for you to contact them and ask why they are absent.

When phoning an employee remember there may be very understandable circumstances for them to have not made contact with you and this should be remembered during the initial contact. The employee should not feel you are contacting them initially to “tell them off”.

As managers we are permitted to ask a variety of questions that allow us to understand why the employee is absent including;
“When do you expect to return to work”?

“What effects does the illness have on you”?

“Are you going to be visiting your doctor”?

Always keep a note of the information an employee gives you and this information should be kept as part of their personal file, along side the date the employee initally started the period of absence.

It is also perfectably acceptable for us to make contact again with the employee if their absence lasts for more than one day. Again this should be included in your practice policy.

If of course the employee has not informed you of their absence and having made your telephone contact decided there was no real justifiable reason behind the lack of contact them disciplinary action should be taken. If you dont take action the scenerio can happen again and will set a precident for other team members.

If as a practice you explain really clearly the effects and costs sickness can have, most dental teams are really keen to embrace a clearly defined protocol of what to do.

I should add of course that sometimes employees can become unwell for a period of time and will be given certification from their GP. There seems little point in contacting employees during this period as they may need rest and contacting them could become stressful for them. The GP will have made it clear when he/she would expect them to be fit to return to work and this should be noted.

If you require any further help with any aspect of team management do give me an email emma@absolute-dental.co.uk or call 01548 854894

Regards

Emma

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