Giving Sickness Policy A Doctor's Note
Viruses, colds, flu and other illnesses have struck each and every one of us at some point or other, making it impossible for us to leave our house or bed, or carry out our normal day to day lives, worrying about passing the infection on to others we come into contact with. Many of us have had to make the dreaded call to our boss to say we are sick and won’t be attending work that day. For businesses, staff absence through sickness can cause many problems ranging from whether to arrange cover for the workload not being done to shortness of staff if other members of the workforce are away on annual leave or due to other absences. Sickness absence can also be hard to control which is why many companies now have a sickness policy in place which acts to guide them and their employees through dealing with sick days.
Most sickness policies have guidance on the length of time a person can be absent from work before needing to provide a doctor’s note, and given that most common colds and other minor illnesses last between 3-7 days this is usually set to a week. Another thing that is covered in the sickness policy is the amount of instances of sick leave an employee can have in a rolling year before some kind of disciplinary action should be taken. This is usually set to between 3 and 4 instances before the employee then has to meet with management to discuss why they have been absent on so many occasions. From an employer and HR perspective, setting a limit to the amount of instances of sickness an employee can have in a rolling year helps them to keep employees in work and reduces the number of “bogus” sick days and helps them to manage fair treatment of all employees in the workplace. But is this blanket treatment of all employees the best way to manage sickness in the workplace?
From an employee’s perspective, getting sick and having to call into work can be terrifying. Not only are you worried about whether you will be believed, you know that others in the team will have to pick up your work while you are not there causing them even more pressure. It leads to worrying about job security because of the implications that the sickness policy can have on your job.
One of the problems with many sickness policies is that it is down to the employee to assess the severity of their illness and decide whether to attend work or not. Coupled with the worry of facing some kind of disciplinary action or - worse still - losing their job, means that many employees attend work and spread the illness to colleagues when they should be at home recovering.
Another factor which many sickness policies do not cover are re-occurring illnesses, such as mental health illness or people who have compromised immune systems who are more likely to have more sickness days than others or come to work when they really are not well enough. Sickness cannot be confined to just physical illness and a blanket approach to sickness in the workplace where each person is treated the same is not the most fair approach when sickness affects each and every one of us in a different way.
We have now seen, first hand, how viruses can spread so easily. We knew this anyway, but when COVID-19 hit and spread so quickly from one country to another, it was illustrated in the most perfect, if not shocking way. The guidance we have been given is to isolate, get tested and return to work once well. Unfortunately, many of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 can be caused by other viruses and even allergies, so taking time off until we know we are well is now a must, especially within the workplace.
Unfortunately, for the sickness policy, this has meant that staff may have to take more instances away from work. Until they receive negative test results, the policy cannot really be used to control instances of sickness in the individual employee anymore. So, should the policy be scrapped or re-written?
I personally think that sickness policies need to be in place to act as guidance for the employee and employer. Although a blanket approach to all employees being treated the same should change, each employee should be seen as an individual who comes with their own set of needs and circumstances and a policy should be designed to reflect this. One employee may not ever take a day sick in their career while another may have several instances in a rolling year depending on how the standard of their health. Physical and mental health all come with different symptoms, coping mechanisms, recovery periods and remission, and should therefore all be treated differently in the workplace. More of an understanding of an individual’s needs should become part of the policy along with guidance on how to improve the individual’s health needs. However, with an increase in the number of businesses adapting to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, where more and more employees are able to work from home, maybe sick days could become a thing of the past? If we are still able to continue with our everyday work, just from home, could many people be encouraged to continue with work rather than phone in when sick?
Written by Suzi Tench
Suzi has a degree in Photographic Art, works as a Payments Officer, is a part-time blogger, loves colour and her dog Roxy.