Short and long-term absence

Most employees are typically absent for short periods, although longer spells off work involving a minority of employees contribute to a large proportion of total days lost. Employers frequently address this by having distinct policies for the two kinds of absence.

Under absence management procedures, both short-term and long-term absence have the potential to lead to review meetings, perhaps an occupational health investigation and, ultimately, the risk of dismissal, although the management paths taken may differ.

The NHS Wales policy defines short term sickness absence as any period lasting less than 28 calendar days. But its “How to” policy focuses on frequent absence, requiring managers to proactively manage absence where the pattern or frequency of absence “gives rise to concern, both for the health and wellbeing of the employee and the provision of service”.

At the Royal Mail, however, long-term absence is more than 14 calendar days. The point of a policy on long-term absence is that — if poorly managed, and without the support of occupational health services — there is a distinct risk that the employment of a long-term sick employee will be in jeopardy. While line managers typically take primary responsibility for managing short-term absence, long-term absence is more likely to be overseen by a case management team and to involve input from an occupational health service (see page 46).