How to reduce the length of your staff’s sick leave

Absenteeism in the workplace generates significant financial costs for businesses. According to a study conducted by The Conference Board of Canada in 2012, the wage cost associated with the number of lost days represented 2.4% of the gross annual payroll.[1] Today, according to a French study, this cost could be as high as 4.4% of the payroll.[2] And that does not include the costs incurred due to overtime, managing and replacing absentees, lost productivity and insurance premiums.

Absenteeism can also disrupt collaborative work within teams and undermine morale. A missing employee can have serious consequences for the person’s colleagues who are forced to cope with the stress of an added workload. The resulting feelings of frustration and discouragement can affect the quality of a product or service, and ultimately compromise customer satisfaction.

As time goes on, the financial and human impact increases. This is why employers rely on programs that target prevention, health and wellness in order to avoid absences. However, when an accident or illness occurs, effective disability management is essential to limit costs.

As soon as a person requests sick leave, time is of the essence, because as sick leave lengthens, the likelihood of the absent person returning to work decreases exponentially. Therefore, prompt and appropriate treatment of physical and mental problems greatly influences the speed of the return to work.

The problem is that people on short-term disability often have to wait a long time to get an appointment with a doctor or access the health care and services they need to recover. Quick access to medical expertise can help reduce the length of absences and mitigate the risk of long-term disability.

Disability management starts as soon as an employee requests sick leave. Care must be provided immediately and focus on resolving any obstacles to recovery. It also has be supported by good communication and the concerted efforts of those involved in the case in order to promote effective decision-making and action.

Early intervention contributes to a rapid diagnosis, leading to an appropriate treatment and follow-up: three key requirements for effective disability management. A case managed quickly is less likely to result in a prolonged absence, unless the illness is chronic or severely debilitating.

If medication is required, the trial period to find the right drug or dosage can slow recovery, undermine the employee’s confidence in his or her ability to recover, and hinder adherence to subsequent treatments. Pharmacogenetic testing can also be a wise choice for prescribing medications that achieve the best therapeutic results or do not cause significant side effects.

It is also important to assess overall health to reduce the risk of chronic illness. The detection of mental health disorders or psychosocial factors, such as anxiety over persistent pain or guilt about inactivity, can help a person on leave overcome psychological obstacles hampering the return to work. A psychiatric consultation or cognitive-behavioural therapy can prove beneficial in such cases.

If long-term disability cannot be avoided, it is in an employer’s interest to be proactive and try to establish a prognosis for the return to work in order to plan for the absent person’s replacement. A work rehabilitation specialist will be able to analyze the employee’s medical reports and assess his or her abilities to determine the obstacles to returning to work and the potential for workplace accommodations or career reorientation.

It should be noted that a case can be taken on during long-term disability, but the human and financial gains will be less significant than if the process is undertaken at the start of a sick leave.

We need to keep in mind that work absenteeism is more than just a question of cost: the financial impact cannot be compared to the pain and anxiety experienced by those affected. With effective disability management, employers can kill two birds with one stone: reduce their company’s productivity losses while providing their employees with the support they need to return to work with confidence.