4. Managing absence

The statistics in Chapter 2 show just how diverse the factors are behind both short-term and longer-term sickness absence. Procedures for managing sickness absence are equally varied but can lead to injustice and even discrimination if badly designed or applied.

However, an early intervention can make recovery and a return to work more likely, especially in cases of stress-related illness and musculoskeletal disorders. And in the pandemic, many employers modified their absence management procedures, at least temporarily. At engineering firm Ross & Catherall Ltd (Doncasters), for example, sickness relating to Covid was not used against staff in an absence or disciplinary review.