Sick leave (or personal leave) is a workplace right in Australia, but it can be disruptive to your business. So how can you support your staff’s health and wellbeing, while also minimising the impact of personal time off? Here are 3 tips to help:
Share your sick leave policy
First, make sure your staff know what leave they’re entitled to. Under the National Employment Standards, all staff (except casual workers) are allowed to take paid and unpaid sick and carer’s/personal leave.
Full-time workers can take 10 days off a year for personal or sick leave, which is prorated for part-time staff.
When sharing your sick leave policy, ensure staff know who they need to contact, how to contact them, and when they need to notify them. They’ll also need to know what’s required in terms of medical certificates, what happens if extended or regular leave is taken, and the process to return to work.
Consider flexible working hours
Work-life balance has become even more important in recent times. To support staff while also maintaining productivity, you might want to consider flexible working hours.
This allows staff to manage work and other commitments, without having to take sick or personal leave. For instance, could they work from home, or start and finish work inside school hours?
While it may not be appropriate for all workplaces, studies show flexible work can help reduce absenteeism. Certainly, happier staff are healthier staff!
Keep an eye on absences
For your policy to work, it has to be both respected and monitored. While you want to show trust in your team, any habitual absences can have an impact on others who are left to pick up the slack.
Be sure to track sick leave days and check staff are doing the right thing, such as notifying their management or obtaining medical certificates. Within Wageloch, your employees can simply click to upload their sick leave certificate.
If you notice staff aren’t doing the right thing (or are taking unexplained leave or a pattern of time off), you may need to initiate a conversation to see if there are any workplace concerns you need to address – or if they need specific support from you or the organisation. You may also need to remind them of the workplace sick leave rules and agreements, and ask for a re-commitment so everyone’s on the same page.
Sick leave management made easy
There’s no doubt managing sick leave and other absences can be a hassle. And without simple, clear processes and a fair policy, businesses run the risk of increased absenteeism and a less than positive work environment.
With Wageloch, it’s easy to keep on top of sick leave and other entitlements – giving you and your team greater transparency and control. To see what it can do for you, ask us for a free demo today.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended as a guide only, providing an overview of general information available. It’s not intended to be an exhaustive source of information and should not be seen to constitute legal or tax advice. You should, where necessary, seek a second professional opinion for any legal or tax issues raised in your business affairs.