Identify Trigger Points
Following on from our first point on Absence Management, we're carrying on today with a really important point to add into your policy and that is identifying trigger points.
Trigger points will set a benchmark for when your staff have taken absence leave over specific levels, leading to a follow up process by management.
There is no hard and fast rule about what is a ‘correct’ trigger point for when someone should enter absence management processes, but you should develop something that works for your business. Don’t be unrealistic here or over-zealous or you could find yourself inundated with absence meetings. Also, remember from last week, that it's important to stick to your policy, if your policy says you’re going to do it, you must do it, so make sure you don’t set yourself an unrealistic target here.
After the policy is introduced and communicated to staff, you should ensure that a benchmarking exercise, for all staff, against the newly implemented trigger points, takes place. You should communicate with staff who have triggered an absence review and meet with them to discuss their individual situation. These meetings are about starting as you mean to go on.
If you need help in setting trigger points, get in touch and we’ll help you.
Please note our blog posts contain general information and are intended as guidance only and should not be taken as an authoritative or current interpretation of the law. Please ensure that you obtain advice tailored to your individual situation before taking action. These posts apply to the UK only.