Sicknesss Absence Management Policy v1.1.pdf - The Rural ...

RURAL PAYMENTS AGENCY
SICKNESS ABSENCE MANAGEMENT POLICY
Version No: 1 01/11/2008
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SICKNESS ABSENCE MANAGEMENT
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CONTENTS
1 Policy Outcome............................................................................................................................3
2 Policy Principles...........................................................................................................................3
3 Diversity and Equality ..................................................................................................................4
4 Reporting and Recording Sickness Absence..............................................................................4
5 Certification ..................................................................................................................................5
6 Pay During Sickness Absence....................................................................................................6
7 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) Considerations ................................................6
8 Notification of Infectious Diseases...............................................................................................6
9 Return to Work Following Sickness Absence.............................................................................7
10 Monitoring Sickness Absence......................................................................................................7
11 Repeated Short Term Sickness Absence...................................................................................7
12 Long Term Sickness Absence.....................................................................................................8
13 Medical Suspension.....................................................................................................................8
14 Disciplinary and Capability Procedures.......................................................................................8
15 Medical Referrals .........................................................................................................................8
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1 Policy Outcome
1.1 To create, promote and sustain a well-being culture in Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
1.2 To ensure that absence is kept down to a minimum level per employee on a year to year basis.
1.3 To ensure that sickness absence is recorded as required by RPA’s reporting requirements to a
98% degree of accuracy.
2 Policy Principles
2.1 This Policy applies to all RPA employees including Fixed Term Appointments (FTAs).
2.2 Sick absence is not to be considered as part of additional annual entitlement to leave but a
provision to support those who require time off due to illness.
2.3 The RPA is required to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees through sound
working practices and a safe working environment.
2.4 Employees who are absent from work due to ill health or injury will be treated fairly and
provided with appropriate support for their recovery and return to work. RPA will provide
consistent, fair and effective procedures to record and monitor sickness absence and to
manage the consequences of long term absence due to ill health.
2.5 Cases of long-term absence or persistent short-term absences which are expected to continue,
will be covered under the provisions of the Capability Policy.
2.6 To ensure that employees are treated fairly, the RPA will:
• Operate an occupational sick pay scheme which provides sick pay to employees who are
genuinely unfit for work, in accordance with their terms and conditions of service.
• Provide an Occupational Health Service to which employees may be referred so that a
professional medical opinion or advice may be obtained.
• Monitor levels of sickness absence and wherever possible make every effort to reduce
such levels.
• Identify employees whose sickness absence records are unsatisfactory and investigate
the circumstances to ensure that all possible steps are taken to assist the employee to
improve their absence record.
• Investigate any underlying causes of high sickness absence within jobs or job groups and
follow up with employees as appropriate.
• Consult with Health and Safety, the Equality and Diversity Manager and any other bodies
as appropriate.
2.7 The RPA recognises the importance of creating a healthy working environment and work
practices to underpin employees’ well-being in the workplace. As part of this, the approach to
managing employees who are temporarily unfit for work is important to the success of the RPA.
Line Managers and others play a crucial role in achieving this objective.
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2.8 The Line Manager will actively manage absence within their team and is responsible for
monitoring and recording trigger points.
2.9 HR Business Partners may chose to delegate authority to members of their HR team where
appropriate but will retain ultimate responsibility for HR functions.
2.10 Authorised absences covered under the Special Leave Policy or Maternity / Adoption Leave
and Disability Leave procedures are not considered absence due to health reasons.
3 Diversity and Equality
3.1 RPA promotes equality of opportunity among its workforce and as such ensures that
arrangements put in place are objective, fair, and transparent, applying the same standards
irrespective of: race, ethnic or national origin, disability, gender, marital status, age, sexual
orientation, religion/belief or working pattern. Further information on RPA’s Equality and
Diversity Policy is available on RPA’s intranet. Alternatively you may contact the Equality &
Diversity Manager in Strategic HR in Reading or your local Equal Opportunity Officer.
4 Reporting and Recording Sickness Absence
4.1 Line Managers should ensure that their employees understand and comply with the reporting
arrangements for sickness absence.
4.2 Employees who are absent from work due to ill health must telephone and speak to their Line
Manager by 10:00 a.m. on the first day of sickness absence. Where they wish to retain
confidentiality with regards to the nature of the ailment they must contact their local HR team.
They should indicate, where possible:
• why they can’t attend and in case of illness what is wrong with them;
• whether they have been or will be consulting a doctor or seeking any other medical
assistance;
• when they expect to be able to attend work;
• whether there is anything that needs to be covered off in their absence.
4.3 Should the employee be too ill to telephone the Line Manager, a family member or
friend should telephone on their behalf as soon as practicable.
4.4 As soon as a Line Manager becomes aware that a member of staff is absent they should enter
the starting date of the absence on ESS. The end date must be left open until the individual
returns to work.
4.5 For continuing periods of sickness absence, employees must keep their Line Manager informed
on their progress regularly, or at intervals agreed with their Line Manager, during the absence.
The Line Manager and employee should agree appropriate arrangements for keeping in touch.
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5 Certification
5.1 Self certification - Absences of seven calendar days or less
5.1.1 Employees must provide a written s elf certified declaration to their Line Manager or
local HR team (if they do not wish to disclose the nature of the illness to their Line Manager).
Exceptionally, a doctor may provide a certificate for this initial period of absence but this is not
usual practice. The Line Manager will record the self certification on ESS when it is received
and authorised on the employee’s first day back at work.
5.2 Medical certification - Absences of eight calendar days or more
5.2.1 Medical Certification must be supported by a certificate signed by a qualified medical
practitioner, stating the cause and probable duration of the absence.
5.2.2 The employee should fully complete the reverse side of the medical certificate and unless they
anticipate returning to work within seven calendar days after the certificate was issued, the
certificate should be sent to their Line Manager or local HR team as soon as possible.
5.2.3 If an employee is not well enough to return to work by the date specified on a medical
certificate, a further certificate to run from the expiry of the previous one must be obtained and
unless they anticipate returning to work within seven calendar days after the certificate was
issued they must ensure that the certificate reaches their Line Manager before the previous
certificate expires.
5.2.4 Any certificate that does not state the probable duration of absence will not be treated as valid
for more than seven days.
5.2.5 If self certificates or medical certificates are not provided or submitted late, without reasonable
cause, salary payment and or Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for the period of sickness absence will
not be made.
5.2.6 If an employee believes that their absence from work is due to an injury at work or as a result
of an industrial disease contracted at work i.e. an illness or condition that is directly related to
the work that the employee is engaged in, this should be stated on the self-certificate so that
the necessary investigation into the circumstances can be undertaken and an accident report
form should be completed.
5.2.7 RPA reserves the right to request a medical certificate at any time. If an employee’s GP
requests payment then the employee must contact their local HR team to arrange for payment
by invoice.
5.2.8 An employee will not be paid for any days they are away from work because of illness unless
they provide self, or medical certification, which has been properly completed by the
employee, covering the period of absence and gives details of what was wrong. Failure to
provide prompt notification of the reasons for absence and any failure or delay in providing a
proper certificate, without reasonable cause may result in pay being withheld and the absence
being recorded as unauthorised.
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5.2.9 If an individual is on sickness absence, they must not undertake any existing or new
alternative employment or voluntary activity, whether paid or unpaid without having first
obtained approval from your HRBP.
5.2.10 Contractors or employment agency staff are not required to complete a Self Certification Form
on ESS but details of their periods of absence should be recorded by their Line Manager for
invoice authorisation purposes.
6 Pay During Sickness Absence
6.1 All employees, providing they have complied with the absence notification procedure may
receive:
• full pay for up to a total of 6 months sickness absence in a 12 months rolling period;
• half pay for a further 6 months within the 12 months,
• An overall limit of 12 months sick pay in a 4 years rolling period.
6.2 Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is normally paid by employers on behalf of the Department for Work
and Pensions for up to the first 28 weeks of sickness absence. You can find the rules and
regulations on SSP on the DWP website
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/statutory_sick_pay.asp If you qualify for RPA provisions,
SSP is:
• Included within the limit of full pay
• In addition to half pay, and
• In addition to Sick Pay at Pension Rate (SPPR)
6.3 SSP is treated as pay when assessing periodical contributions deductible under Civil Service
Pensions arrangements. When it is paid in addition to sick pay it reckons towards pension
benefits, except when SSP is paid with sick pay at pension rate.
7 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) Considerations
7.1 Under section 1 of the DDA a person is defined as disabled who: has a physical or mental
impairment which has substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out
normal day to day activities. Employees who fall under this category will be treated in
accordance with RPA’s Disability Leave Policy.
8 Notification of Infectious Diseases
8.1 Employees must inform the RPA as soon as they are aware of contracting a “notifiable”
infectious disease and must not attend work. They should inform their Line Manager or local HR
team at the soonest practical opportunity. If their Line Manager is not available the employee
should inform another Line Manager (at the same grade) in the same location/area. Where a
member of staff is not permitted to come into their office because they have been in contact
with someone who has a notifiable disease but they are not exhibiting any symptoms, their
Line Manager must undertake a risk analysis and look into available alternative options (e.g.
home working) before taking the decision to grant paid Special Leave.
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9 Return to Work Following Sickness Absence
9.1 When an employee returns to work following sickness absence, they should report to their
Manager as soon as possible on their first day back at work, where practical. The Line
Manager will conduct a Return to Work interview to ensure that the employee is fit for work and
to address any other issues related to their sickness absence.
9.2 The Return to Work meeting should be held as soon as possible on the morning of their return
to work, where practical, using the Return to W ork interview form. Once complete this
should be signed by the employee and the Line Manager and sent to the local HR team and be
placed on the employee’s personnel file.
10 Monitoring Sickness Absence
10.1 Line Managers should regularly review sickness absence to ensure that the Team is able to
function effectively, and to check for patterns of absence.
10.2 Trigger points for management action are in place to identify when an individual’s cumulative
absences from work need to be reviewed. The trigger points are as follows:
• 6 spells of absence in any 12 months
or
• 9 days of self-certificated absence in any 12 months
or
• 12 days of mixed certificated absence in any 12 months.
10.3 When an employee’s absence reaches a trigger point the Line Manager should meet with the
employee to discuss the reasons for the sickness absence and to identify any underlying
issues.
10.4 If an employee’s absence pattern gives a Line Manager cause for concern, they should discuss
it informally with the employee at the earliest opportunity. If the Line Manager is concerned
about an employee’s level of sick absence, or if the employee has an accident at work, they
may be required to undertake a medical referral.
10.5 If after having received an Occupational Health report following a medical referral the Line
Manager is still concerned about an employee’s level of sickness absence and their ability to
undertake their contractual obligations the Capability Policy should be used.
10.6 In all circumstances Line Managers should hold Return to Work interviews and discuss the
attendance to date with employees.
11 Repeated Short Term Sickness Absence
11.1 The point at which a Line Manager should express concern is not fixed but examples of the
circumstances that may prompt further investigation are included in the guidance notes.
11.2 If the Line Manager is concerned about the level of sickness absence, they should have an
Attendance Review meeting with the employee. A record of the meeting should be made by the
Line Manager a copy given to the employee and one sent to the local HR team. This will give
the employee and their Line Manager a chance to discuss the absence record, reasons for the
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absence, any other relevant information and the improvement that is required over a specific
period. If, after the discussion it is apparent that there is an underlying problem, the Line
Manager should discuss the situation with their local HR team. In some cases, an investigation
may be necessary and it may be appropriate to take this forward as part of the RPA’s Capability
Procedure.
12 Long Term Sickness Absence
12.1 Line Managers should inform and seek the advice of the local HR Teams in cases where
sickness absence extends to 21 consecutive days or more. The Line Manager should maintain
contact with the employee in order to remain updated about the likely duration of the sickness
absence. For long term absence the expectation is that Line Managers should keep in touch on
at least a fortnightly basis via telephone call. The employee has a responsibility to update their
Line Manager and the local HR team on the employee’s likely date of return to work.
12.2 HR may decide to refer the employee to the Occupational Health Service for advice on the
employee’s illness, a likely return to work date and any rehabilitation advice. RPA may also
request, with the employees consent, a medical report from the employee’s own Doctor. Once
advice has been received from the Occupational Health Service, the employee should be
invited to a meeting to discuss the issue with their Line Manager, and a HR Representative, if
necessary. Although this must not be regarded as a formal stage of the Capability or
D isciplinary procedures, if the individual is particularly anxious about the meeting they may
request that they are accompanied by a c olleague or TU R epresentative. After the
meeting, the Line Manager should write to the employee notifying them of the outcome.
A copy should be kept on the employee’s personnel file.
12.3 The RPA will, where an employee’s sickness falls under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
(DDA) seek to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ as stated by the DDA before the employee can
return to their job. Pending the adjustments being made the employee may be asked to remain
at home on full pay or may be expected to attend work undertaking modified duties.
13 Medical Suspension
13.1 If the RPA concludes that the employee is not able to attend work due to an identifiable Health
and Safety risk that would relate to themselves or others in the workplace, they can be
suspended from work on medical grounds. The RPA may keep an employee on medical
suspension whilst it seeks Occupational Health advice to establish whether an employee is able
to safely return to work after a period of sickness or injury.
13.2 The employee will stay on full pay whilst medically suspended.
14 Disciplinary and Capability Procedures
14.1 An employee who fails to comply with reporting or certification procedures, or who otherwise
abuses the Sickness Absence Management Policy, will be subject to either the RPA’s
Disciplinary or Capability procedure depending on the circumstances of the case.
15 Medical Referrals
15.1 In certain circumstances the RPA may require employees to be medically examined by a
registered medical practitioner nominated by the RPA. The purpose of such an examination is
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to determine whether there is an underlying medical problem or any matters which might impair
the employees’ ability to perform their duties and if so any reasonable steps the RPA may take
to support the employee.
15.2 If an employee refuses, without acceptable reason, to attend a medical examination or give
their consent to the RPA to obtain a medical report, they will be made aware that without a
report the RPA might have to make a decision regarding the employee’s employment position
in the absence of the appropriate medical information.
Version No: 1
Policy Owner: Rural Payments Agency, Agency Executive Group
Policy Custodian: Head of Strategic HR
Approved By: A Good HR Director Date: 3 rd Nov 2008
Date of Launch: 3 rd Nov 2008
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