Discipline in the Workplace

 Intended for:

This training WORKSHOP has been designed for anyone that deals with absence or needs to have an awareness of the absence management process. This could include; Team leaders, supervisors, managers, HR professionals and anyone else involved in the management of people or organisations.

Training Course Contents:

Each participant will receive   several useful handouts and exercises relating to absence management.

It’s estimated that absence from work costs the UK economy over £13 billion per year, with the ‘average’ employee taking around seven days off sick annually. The need for managers, HR people and leaders to control absenteeism is critical if a company is to survive and prosper.

But just what is ‘absence’? And how do we go about managing it and reducing it wherever we can, without falling foul of employment law?

This training workshop has been created to help safely navigate you through the minefield of absence management, paying attention to issues of systems, procedures and organisational culture along the way. Using a selection of exercises, activities and sample documents, the course examines some traditional methods of management as well as some more contemporary and innovative ways of keeping a lid on casual absence. Participants will take away a number of practical tools and ideas to enable them to target performance improvement when back at their desks.

An Absence Management Model – this section identifies a simple model for managers to apply when dealing with absenteeism

Defining Absence – the text book definition will help learners clearly understand what is meant by absence

Types of Absence – unravelling the different types of absence and distinguishing between absence and leave

Classifying Absence – by classifying types of absence, the learner can begin to get a steer on how to manage it

Statistics – identifying the real cost of absence and looking at regional and sector differences

Reasons for Absence – considering the high level issues that have an impact on absence, like culture and job design

Causes of Sickness – here the national league tables of sickness causes are discussed, giving the learner the chance to reflect on their own team or company

Absence Management – Stage 1 – contracts, policies, procedures and legal entitlements are all examined here, to allow learners to get a grasp of what they have to know to

Absence Management – Stage 2 – record keeping, costing absence and benchmarking provide the chance for analysis and understanding in the context of the learner’s own organisation

Absence Management – Stage 3 – setting out the skills and interventions  managers need to apply in the effective management of absence, including: communication, professional advice, workplace issues and return to work interviews

Traditional Approaches – an examination of performance management, sick pay, discipline, recruitment and selection and how these can lend themselves to effective absence management

Reducing Absenteeism – through less traditional approaches, looking at ‘carrots and sticks’, targets, employee assistance, unusual initiatives and organisational culture.

Recent Developments – considering the impact of ‘fit notes’ and potential pandemics.

Objectives:

At this end of this absence management training course your participants will be able to:

1. Give a clear definition of what absence is
2. Outline the legal and contractual issues around the management of absence
3. Have the knowledge to manage absence and to work towards improving overall attendance at work
4. Produce a plan to review absenteeism in your team and where required, an action list to implement measures for improvement.