Understanding Staff Sickness Levels

People get sick and injured; it is an unfortunate fact of life. But, that does not mean that every one of these incidents has to result in an absence from work. By undergoing absence management training, you can gain a clearer picture of what is happening in your workplace and how it affects the health and wellbeing of staff.

Absence levels are, on average, at an all-time high in the workplace. The key to reducing absenteeism is understanding its causes and making changes based on these findings. Training in sickness absence management through an FNP degree online covers these elements, as well as looking deeper into how businesses are affected and how they can better manage the situation. Such training courses will, in general, provide information related to the main reasons for absences, the causes of sickness and the effects that this has on stress and anxiety levels of the remaining staff, as well as the financial situation of your business. 

As well as these fundamentals, such a course should take you through the legal requirements related to your policies, building, staff hiring and retention, among many others. It should make these specific to your situation so that you can improve the corporate wellness of your staff team. It should also provide you with positive ways forward, from ways of improving the environment to looking at how early intervention and a focus on what staff can achieve, will minimize the number of days taken off work. Undertaking such instruction is only worthwhile if you take what you have learned into your work environment and share the strategies with your staff.

Absence Management System For Your Business

Absenteeism costs businesses money. Whether it is in terms of unfinished projects, additional overtime payments or the need for cover staff. It also affects the morale of the remaining team members, meaning that they are not as productive as usual. An absence management system could stop this and change the fortunes of your business.

Sickness absence management focuses on reducing and even removing the need for sick days through early intervention to tackle the causes of the illness or injury. The idea is to interact with the staff member from the earliest possible opportunity after the onset of an illness or injury. Ideally, this should take place on day one and involve medical assessment. Steps can then be taken to adapt to the working environment or tasks, where necessary to allow the individual to stay at work. Where this is not possible, then medical referrals can be made to minimize the amount of time that is taken off from work, and ensure that the individual returns with suitable support as necessary.

Focusing on corporate wellness involves your company being able to work collaboratively with staff and a range of medical professionals such as occupational therapists, doctors, counselors, physiotherapists and nurses. It also requires you to be willing to make changes to working practices and spaces to prevent injuries and reduce the need for time off. By making these changes and putting such an early intervention scheme in place you will produce happier, more productive staff, who suffer less stress and safeguard the future of your business, both financial and in terms of your status as a good employer.