Back to work
We are now entering that period of the year when it becomes increasingly difficult to prise that duvet off our leaden bones and face the doom and gloom outside and its attendant obstacles. We’ve been lucky so far but one feels that frosty windscreens, numb fingers and treacherous roads and pavements are just around the corner. It’s hard enough to get up for the daily grind on a good day, but at this time of year reluctance can take on the weight of an existential breakdown.
As a so-called HR ‘expert’ I’m often – well, occasionally – asked what employers can do to combat this seasonal loss of productivity and plummeting morale and as a so-called HR ‘expert’ I feel bound to answer by stating the obvious: talk to your staff. It appears that managers, senior and middle, also like to hideaway at this time of year, wallowing in the benefits of having their own offices, or the autonomy to schedule long and pointless meetings, or just the power to wander around the office making small talk and the only cups of tea you’re likely to get out of them all year. What they should be doing, at this and any other time of the year, is communicating honestly with their teams and demonstrating the kind of leadership skills that those regular readers of this column (Hi Mum!) will surely now have ingrained in their mind, in much the same way as Elmar Fudd can’t close his eyes at night without seeing a certain long eared rabbit.
Clearly the situation calls for an honest acknowledgement that it’s not easy to stay motivated at this time of year and conditions can often be against us. Re-iterate the adverse weather policy (get in touch if you don’t have one and need guidance) and see if anyone has any great ideas for livening things up over the next few weeks – a short term incentive programme, a rota of cake making, improving the working environment or getting those social media pages set up. Whatever it is, try and find something that people can focus on before ‘getting back to normal’ around mid-February.
Strangely, probably the most effective ‘weapon’ in the ‘fight’ against absenteeism is also the most under utilised – the Return to Work Interview. In most organisations, introducing these meetings and doing them properly would have a massive impact on the duration and frequency of short term absences (whatever the reasons for them), and yet line manager reticence is usually enough to stall their introduction, or undermine their usefulness to the point where they are semi-officially abandoned. It would make HR weep, if we had hearts.
However, if line managers can be convinced of their value the RTW interview will reduce the number of days that their staff take off, it really is as simple as that. It gives the manager the opportunity to discuss reasons for the absence, any patterns that are becoming apparent, anything the Company can do to help the employee improve their attendance, anything the individual can do to help themselves, any other issues that are impacting on attendance or indeed performance and whether or not any disciplinary procedures may be necessary, all usually well ahead of any ‘crunch’ or crisis points and in a relatively ‘safe’ environment. What’s not to like?
Well, managers are busy people and often about as skilled in social intercourse as they are in brain surgery. These meetings do require a certain amount of tact, (especially relating to any potential disability), diplomacy and empathy which might as well have been 3 of the 7 dwarves as far as most managers are concerned. They also require a degree of consistency and determination, which can be hard to achieve, particularly if one is lazy and disorganised. They also often require a small amount of note taking and communication with HR, which is why in many cases HR opt to do the meetings themselves rather than trying to get any metaphorical stones to bleed. To be clear, however, the usefulness of the conversation is likely to be significantly reduced if that is the case.
Where the absence has been caused by a genuine illness or other medical condition, welcome the employee back and check to see that (s)he is OK to work. Find out whether there are any adjustments you need to consider and if they’re taking medication that might have safety implications. Brief them on any relevant matters that have arisen whist they’ve been away, complete the paperwork and take the opportunity to thank them for their commitment to the organisation. Not that tough, surely? But just by doing this consistently, absences will reduce. Like magic, if you would waste actual magic on employee relations. If there are other reasons for the absence, meetings like this will soon establish that and the appropriate course of action can be decided before getting back to the employee.
So, put simply, if you’re not doing return to work interviews, don’t moan about the levels of absence in your organisation. No one really cares, not even you.
Mo is a HR Consultant for Sussex Enterprise.
Follow Mo on twitter @MRasanayagam