Absence policy checklist

• Covid-19: has the policy been updated in the light of lessons learned from the pandemic?

• policy: does the employer have an up-to-date, formal policy or policies covering all the key aspects of absence management and sick pay?

• contractual: is it clear whether or not these arrangements are jointly agreed/negotiated and contractual?

• principles: has the employer set out the principles that guide its approach to sickness absence management and its commitment to employee wellbeing?

• who it covers: is it clear who the policy applies to and whether all workers (including part-timers, zero hours workers and temporary workers) are included in a way that is consistent with employment legislation?

• what it covers: does the policy spell out what counts as sickness absence (rather than unauthorised absence)?

• work environment: is there more that could be done to make work safer, taking the lessons of the pandemic into account?

• performance management: are performance management and other human resources procedures kept separate from sickness absence management?