Santia, one of the UK’s leading providers of consulting, auditing, training and accreditation in health and safety, is launching a new product, Day One Absence Reporting, to revolutionise absence management for British businesses.
On average, employees working in the private sector take seven days of sickness leave a year, and in the public sector this rises to 12 days. In the public sector alone sickness absence costs £18bn a year. In difficult economic times, this is a cost organisations and businesses simply cannot afford.
Santia Consulting has trialled the Day One Absence Reporting system itself and found that for every £1 spent, a saving of £5.40 has been made in sickness pay and agency staff fees.
The system works by cutting out the middle man. Instead of phoning their line manager on the first day of their absence, employees telephone a qualified Santia advisor who will take their details and provide advice on what steps they should take next. This may be to remain off work until they have recovered or until a certain number of days have passed, to arrange an appointment with their GP, or a recommendation that they take over the counter medication and return to work the following day.
Santia’s Day One Absence Reporting team is made up of industry experts who have knowledge of a wide range of symptoms and medication to ensure that employees benefit from a high quality of care and advice as soon as it is required. The fact that all exchanges are recorded serves as a deterrent to people who may not genuinely need to take time off. All data is recorded in a system which allows employers to pull together statistics and identify any significant trends or issues.
Lisa Roberts, Technical Director of Occupational Health for Santia, said:
“There are several factors that have contributed to this increase in absenteeism over recent years. Rises in retirement age have led to an aging workforce, which brings with it increased health risks and a greater likelihood of needing to take time off. At the same time, economic uncertainty has made workers across all sectors fearful for their jobs and so they are coming to work even if they are not fit to. This can be equally damaging as it often only serves to aggravate the illness and leads to employees taking more sick leave than was initially necessary.
“Santia’s Day One Absence Reporting is designed to be both cost and time effective. As well as the short term benefits, over time businesses will be provided with a breakdown of their data which will highlight any recurring patterns that need to be addressed. At a time where every penny counts, an effective absentee management system makes business sense.”