Just like anything else in business it’s really important to know your numbers.
If you can’t or don’t measure something, then you have no real idea how it’s working. And if you have no idea how it’s working, you don’t know how to improve it.
In order to know your staff sickness absence numbers, you need to start recording them.
Here are the numbers you need to know to effectively monitor and manage staff sickness.
Absence rate
How to calculate the absence rate (%) for all your staff
Absence Rate = (Total Days Lost to Absence / Total Available Working Days) × 100%
Total Days Lost due to Absence is the total of all the days that any of your staff were away from work due to sickness, added together.
Remember to only count one full day for staff who work a full day or count part of a day for staff who only work part of a day.
Total Available Working Days is the total of all the days your business is open and your employees are meant to be at work, multiplied by the number of employees that are meant to be at work, so ‘total working days in the year’ x ‘number of staff meant to be at work each day’
The number of staff meant to be at work might not be a whole number if some of your staff are part time.
Average Days lost per employee
Days Lost per Employee = Total Working Days Lost to Absence / Total Number of Employees
You could work this out for the number of people employed or for the Full Time Equivalent (FTE or WTE) employees you have.
Cost of lost productivity
Cost of Lost Productivity = Total Days Lost to Absence × Average Daily Employment Cost
Remember: Employment Cost is not the same as the amount you pay your employees. it includes all the other costs to you as employer. Speak to your accountant or payroll specialist if you are unsure which costs to include.
Personalised absence statistics for each employee – last 12 months
- Total number of short term and long-term absences for each employee over the last 12 months.
- Total Working days missed from work over the past 12 months.
- Days lost by weekday – broken down by short-term and long-term absences.
- Personal absence rate = number of working days lost / number of working days x 100% – compare this to the organisation’s average.
- Top absence reasons – the common reasons for absences – helps to identify health trends and areas for intervention.
What to do when you have the figures
REVIEW
- Pinpoint departments or employee groups with higher (or lower) absence rates
- Identify high-risk employees
INVESTIGATE
- Investigate any environmental factors in the workplace
- Check records of back to work interviews for sickness absence reasons given by staff
PLAN
- Plan targeted interventions
IMPLEMENT
- Fix any physical issues in the working environment.
- Secure professional support from Cup of Life Coaching to address health issues and introduce proactive measures, addressing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of wellness, to improve employee health and wellbeing.
SET A TARGET FOR SICKNESS ABSENCE
- You might want to set a target of zero for sickness absence among your staff, or you might set a more pragmatic target based on figures available from similar organisations in your industry.
MONITOR
- Track the numbers proactively and check the effectiveness of implemented initiatives.
- Make adjustments as needed.
Conclusions
Managing sickness absence needs to be an active process but is not just about employee health or cost reduction, it’s about overall organisational wellbeing, performance, and reputation.
How Cup of Life Coaching can help
An annual programme of support from Cup of Life Coaching is both reactive and proactive, aiming to put things right that have gone wrong, and to prevent new health issue arising in the future
We’ll help keep your staff in tip top health, so they can be present at work, performing at their best, and helping your business to thrive.
That elusive target of zero sickness absence should, at least in principle, be achievable if you help support your staff to look after their health.
What’s included?
- initial review and goal setting for your organisation, then regular reviews of progress against your targets.
- weekly bespoke one to one health coaching for specified staff with existing health problems
- monthly group interactive coaching covering all pillars of physical and mental health
- nutrition
- movement and exercise
- avoidance and management of stress
- connection, love, and support
- communication and relationships
- environment
- helping each member of staff
- encouraging good relationships among your staff
- team building and team development
- leadership development
- executive coaching to avoid overwhelm and burnout
- plant based kitchen transition
Why wait another moment? Call now to arrange a meeting to find out whether we are meant to work together.
