Staff sick days

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Rooroo80

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Oct 18, 2015
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Salon owners advice please, I have a nice team of staff but have 2 girls that take so many random sick days, I need them and don't want the aggro of looking for other staff but they don't even attempt to come to work if they wake up feeling ill, where do I stand legally on this? They don't have ongoing illnesses just frequently decide to have a day off. I have a strong work ethic and can't understand this behaviour!
 
Well apart from not pay them for the sick days they take there isn't really much you can do. You are not legally obliged to pay them for sick days unless they are off 3 days or more, and have a doctors note (as far as I know).
 
I need them and don't want the aggro of looking for other staff

That's the cause of the problem and the solution.

They know this and they're banking on you doing nothing. Sounds like you need to get tough and actively manage them. Set out your expectations and consequences.

How long have they worked for you?

Make it clear that you won't put up with disrespectful behaviour and will start looking for new staff and mean it. What happens to the clients when they take a sickie? If clients get mucked about, they'll walk.
If you have other staff that are picking up the slack when they take random days off, they won't be happy about it either.

Also, it's not necessarily just about having the right work ethic.
Fact is that no-one will put as much effort into running YOUR business as you will but you do need to be a pro-active manager. Staff don't passively manage themselves and you need to set goals and rewards.

Good luck!
 
I used to work in a spa where the management threatened us all with disciplinary action if too many days were taken off sick.

Do management actually have a leg to stand on or was this an empty threat I wonder?

I can't remember the name of it but they used this American formula to work out when absences were what could be defined as too many. A day here and there scored more points against you than a week off sick.
 
I think the formula you're thinking about is the Bradford factor. Here is the website link. Big companies HR departments use it to spot problems.

http://www.bradfordfactorcalculator.com/

The College I used to work at used something like this. If you had more than 10 days sick it triggered meetings with HR / manager. It also tracked the pattern of absence e.g. always taking Mondays off etc.
I think most companies use a 'back to work' form now on which you have to say why you were off and it usually involves a formal meeting with your manager. Basically it's used as a deterrent but it also documents the fact that the company is offering help with any health problems (e.g providing a better chair & foot support if you are a computer operator with back ache) - negates a claim against the company in the future too no doubt...!

Ultimately if a member of staff is taking a lot of sick time then you can apply for a medical report from their GP which will state if the employee is fit for work. You will need the person's signature to apply for this. What you will find is that if they give permission they are genuinely ill but if they refuse then you know they are pulling a fast one. 9 times out of ten they will resign following this as they know they have been rumbled.

Holding back pay is your best way forward to start with.
If it continues and is causing loss of income to your business then if you give the person notice (can't remember how long at at the mo) of reducing their hours (due to no client demand) then this will either make them attend work or leave.

I had a very difficult situation years ago with an absence problem - in the end I took it to a solicitor who wrote a letter to the person. She left very soon afterwards.

I feel your pain! best wishes,
 
I would look at putting a procedure into place in placed I have worked there have been triggers for a meeting to discuss and then you can put on a performance review. E.g. Time off more than 10 days is a trigger, more than 3 instances of sickness in 6 months. I'd meet with all the team to set out expectations so no one feels they are being picked on. X
 

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